A Murderer in Our Midst
by Hoverbike Girl
Summary: Chapter 11: An uninvited guest is wandering around the Boddy estate, and no one is happy about it. But searching for the mystery person might have terrifying consequences... PWEEZE R&R! Guesses for Suspect, with what Weapon, and in which Room are welcome!
1. Meet the Guests

**_A Murderer in Our Midst_**

By _Hoverbike Girl  
_

Hello again, everyone! This is my third revision of _A Murderer in Our Midst_! This one isn't so drastic as the last; just some simple sentence-changing here and there, as well as changing Mr. Boddy's first name to John instead of Reginald. You don't have to read it over again, unless you've been away from it for so long that you need to review the mystery and all the clues. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter #1: Meet the Guests

It was a dark and stormy night. A violent set of thunderstorm cells was making a new record in history as the longest storm ever. Torrential rain poured all through the day and showed no signs of ceasing, even after the sun had set and disappeared. Lightning struck among the storm clouds, and thunder echoed across the country. The miserable weather worsened when powerful gusts of wind blew the rain in a new direction. The howling wind changed every so often to send its icy fury to another place. But the storm couldn't stop one determined person from reaching his destination.

He was trudging slowly (which was surprising for who he was) on the wet sidewalk, with his shoulders bent and his head down, occasionally tripping on the ragged yellow raincoat that was too big and heavy for a Mobian. Unfortunately, the coat didn't have a hood, and it didn't take long for the rain to plaster his cobalt spines against his head and find their way down the back of his neck. The traveler complained to no one in particular about having to wear the heavy thing, but even he knew that a bad cold was worse than this, although it seemed that he was going to catch one anyway.

"This trip had better be worth it," he muttered as he dove into a bus stop for some temporary dry shelter. Taking his mind off the weather and how cold he was, he reached into his left pocket and pulled out an envelope, which had miraculously stayed dry throughout the whole trip. Inside the envelope was a letter written on fancy stationary. It read:

_Dear Sonic the Hedgehog,_

_I have heard of your deeds and have seen you in action. I have been hoping to meet you in person. That is why I am inviting you to my countryside mansion for a whole week. If you are on a busy schedule, I understand, but you may never get an offer like this again; I am a busy man. So drop by my place on the 6__th__ of June and tell my gatekeeper that you were invited to be a guest in my home, and he will allow you in. My address is listed above the body of the letter. I do hope you will come!_

_Sincerely,_

_John Boddy_

At first, Sonic had been suspicious of "Mr. Boddy". But he just shrugged it off and decided to check it out, since he didn't have anything planned for June 6th. In fact, he had a good reason to go; Amy had mentioned a date on that day, and he had, for some stupid reason that he couldn't remember, told her he would go if he had nothing to do. Now he did.

He looked at the address on the letter again and checked the street sign. _Madison Court. Mr. Boddy's house should be the one at the end of the street, _Sonic thought. Knowing that his journey was nearing its end, he picked up his pace as best as he could without tripping over his coat. He halted in front of a brick wall with an iron gate. With one glance at the number on the wall by the gate, he knew that this was the place.

Beyond the gate was a gravel driveway with gardens of flowers and trees flanking its sides, and at the end of the driveway was a dark mass. The sky lit up with lightning, revealing that the dark shape was a massive, two-story mansion made of red bricks. The thunderclouds and lightning cast an ominous shadow over the house, and Sonic, despite himself, took a few doubtful steps backward. Already he was beginning to have second thoughts about the visit.

_Maybe I should've taken Amy up on that date… _he thought, and then instantly slapped his forehead. If that had just crossed his mind, then he wasn't thinking clearly. Being with her meant enduring her constant advances to marry him (even though they were both a bit too young for such decisions yet), and though he remained impassive, they annoyed him terribly. Being stuck with Amy for a whole day was worse than staying in a creepy mansion for an entire week.

He was brought out of his thoughts when a voice asked, "Are you Sonic the Hedgehog?"

The blue hedgehog whirled around to find the speaker. And there, standing on the other side of the gate, was—of all things—a coyote dressed in a butler's uniform. He held an umbrella over his head and stared at the visitor with a slightly bored expression.

Sonic didn't speak for a while, wondering where the stranger had come from. But then he shoved his thoughts into the back of his mind and replied a bit cautiously, "Yeah, that's me."

There was a slight nod in response, and then the coyote introduced himself. "I am Jenkins, Mr. Boddy's butler. He has been expecting you." He unlocked the gate and gestured toward the mansion with a sweep of his left arm. "Please follow me."

Without another word, the strange pair walked up the driveway to the front door of the Boddy estate. "Jenkins" fumbled with some keys and opened the door into a lobby of sorts. The floor was made of wood and had a blue rug with purple stripes in the middle. Several chairs stood against the walls, which were lined with several small paintings and portraits. There were also small, round tables, potted plants, a lamp, a grandfather clock, and, best of all, a cheery fireplace. Later on, Sonic would come to know the official name of this room: the Hall.

Without pausing, the butler walked on to another set of doors. Sonic took a few steps forward, but slipped and landed tail first on the wooden floor. Jenkins looked back and rolled his eyes. "Do remember to wipe your feet before coming inside."

"Thanks for the warning," Sonic mumbled sarcastically under his breath as he rubbed his rear and inwardly nursed his hurt pride. But he obeyed and hung his raincoat on a nearby coat-rack.

"Mr. Boddy is dealing with some paperwork, so he will be a while. But he wants me to show you to the Ballroom so you can make yourself comfortable."

He opened the doors into a wide room with a floor of stone tiles, only a few small lights, and no furniture whatsoever. Several halls led out of the room, and there were a number of doors. At one end, there was a set of stone stairs going downward into darkness. And in one corner, another staircase, this one made of wood, spiraled up into an opening in the ceiling—one of the ways to reach the second floor of the mansion.

"What room is this?" Sonic wondered aloud, creating an echo.

Jenkins replied, "It is no real room, just a place from which the rest of the hallways go." He continued walking through the room, with Sonic following slowly behind (that's a first!). He stopped at one green door at the other end of the vacant room and opened it. "This is the Ballroom," he said.

The Ballroom was a neat, comfortable room lit by two lamps and the flames of a fireplace. The wooden floor had, like the Hall, a rug in the center, but this one was green with yellow and brown borders. Two couches and two chairs were places to sit, and a small piano and a phonograph provided music.

Jenkins turned away to leave. "Make yourself at home. Hopefully I will return with company shortly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic asked in puzzlement, but the butler had already closed the door. With a sigh, he walked over to the large window at the other end of the room and looked outside, but all he saw was pouring rain and the occasional lightning bolt. Then Sonic did what he always did when he was bored: he paced.

He had been going back and forth for about five minutes (and nearly wearing out the rug) before the door opened again. As soon as he saw Jenkins, Sonic said, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd—" he stopped in mid-sentence when he saw who was with Jenkins. _If that's Mr. Boddy, then I'm Eggman,_ was his first thought.

It was no human; it was a red fox in a plum-colored tuxedo. He appeared to be about eight. It was his tail that caught his eye…or rather _two _tails.

"Tails?! What're you doin' here?"

Tails looked equally surprised. "Sonic? You're here too?"

Without a word, the butler left them to talk. But neither the fox nor the hedgehog noticed.

Sonic scratched his head and said, "I mustn't be the only one that Boddy guy invited to vacation here. Funny, he didn't say he was inviting any-_Boddy_ else! Heh heh, sorry, bad pun. Anyway, what's with the tux?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd go formal for once. I'm surprised you didn't dress up, Sonic."

"You shouldn't be. You know I'm not fond of dressing up just to look good. Those things itch anyway."

The door to the Ballroom opened again, and a rough voice with a Jersey-like accent said, "You're tellin' me."

Sonic turned around and was once again disappointed. This new person wasn't Boddy; it was…

"Vector!" said Tails in recognition.

The reptile was wearing a dark-green tuxedo, which was why he agreed with Sonic. He grinned and said, "Evenin', boyz! Long time no see!"

"How did someone like you get invited to a rich guy's mansion?' asked Sonic. "Does he have a case for you or somethin'?"

Vector sighed. "I wish. I haven't gotten any real cases for weeks!" He sat down on a couch and told them about some of the minor cases he had done—mostly lost Chao or toys and every now and then a missing person. He was in the middle of a story about a kid's cat stuck in a tree in the park when Jenkins came in again with another visitor, this one a white bat.

"Hello, boys," the bat said with a cunning grin that, to her delight, made Vector curl his lip.

"Rouge?" Tails exclaimed with a cocked eyebrow.

"What're _you_ doin' here, bat girl?" the croc demanded with clenched fists.

Rouge grinned again. "I recovered a few Egyptian relics for the Station Square Museum…for a good price, of course," she said with plenty of pride.

When her back was turned, Vector rolled his eyes and muttered, "Miss Vanity." But nothing could escape Rouge's super-sensitive ears; she slapped the back of his head for the comment.

Tails, however, showed interest in the relics and asked her to tell them about her quest. Like most girls, she didn't forget any detail and rambled on for about twenty minutes. She finished right when Jenkins appeared again with a tray of drinks.

"Refreshments for everyone, and our fifth guest," he announced.

Rouge saw the newcomer and smirked, having found a special rival of hers that she enjoyed annoying. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Emerald Guardian."

"Hey, Knuckles!" Tails greeted him cheerfully.

"Hey, guys," the echidna returned the greeting to his pals and scowled at Rouge. "How'd someone like you get in a rich guy's house, bat girl?"

Vector, who had fallen asleep halfway through Rouge's story, sat up with a groan and said, "She took forever to tell us. Don't ask her to tell it again…please."

Knuckles just shrugged and pulled up a chair next to Vector and far away from his rival. Then Tails noticed that Jenkins had left the drink tray on a table next to the phonograph, and there was still a full glass of punch on it; everyone had taken theirs.

"There must be one more guest," he said while scratching his head. "I wonder who it could be…" Suddenly he went rigid. "Uh oh…"

"Uh oh what?" Knuckles asked.

The fox nervously rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Sonic. "I think he invited all of your friends over, Sonic."

The hero shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"…Not just Knuckles and me. …Somebody else."

Suddenly the door opened once more, and a familiar female voice cried happily, "Sonic!"

The hero's eyes widened in sheer terror, and he whirled around to face the speaker. "Amy! I, uhh…"

Before he could react, she rushed forward and hugged him tightly. But then she let go and put her hands on her hips with a stern expression. "You're in big trouble, Sonic Hedgehog. You stood me up at the Burger Shop! You'd better have a good reason why, or else!"

His face became red; he knew better than to say he had intentionally missed lunch with her. He stammered and constantly changed his words, but she seemed to read his mind. Gritting her teeth angrily, she balled her fingers into fists, causing Sonic to back away from her. He ended up getting cornered next to the piano, with no way out. Still searching for something to say, he looked at the other guests; they were watching the scene with interest, and Rouge was smirking in amusement. The trapped hedgehog stared at Tails and mouthed silently, "Help me!" while shielding his face to prevent Amy from seeing.

At first Tails only scratched his head, clueless as to how he could get his best friend out of his uncomfortable situation. But then he noticed something: Amy was wearing a long, white dress instead of her ordinary red skirt. While looking at Sonic, he pointed at her, hoping he would understand the gesture. Judging by the relieved look in his eyes, he did.

"Hey Amy, is that dress new?" he asked, trying his best to sound interested and impressed.

The ploy worked like a charm. Amy instantly forgot the reason for her anger. "Yes! I just got it today!" She hugged him a second time. "I'm so glad you noticed!"

When she wasn't looking, Sonic winked at Tails, and his thank-you gesture was silently returned. Vector and Knuckles stifled a couple snickers at the clever tactic the pair had used, and Rouge rolled her eyes. Of course, Amy was oblivious to all of this.

Someone cleared his throat, and the guests turned to see Jenkins standing in the doorway. "Mr. Boddy wants me to give you a tour of the mansion's first floor before you meet him. Please come with me and do not wander off alone."

The gang followed him out of the Ballroom into the empty room. Jenkins toured the first floor's nine rooms in this order: from the Ballroom through the Conservatory, Billiard Room, past the Library (which was locked), Study, Hall (they had already been in there), Lounge, Dining Room, and finally the Kitchen. Vector was curious about the basement, but the butler told them there was nothing special down there. He also told them a little about the outdoors; the mansion had a hedge maze, a fountain, a rose garden, and even a family cemetery. When he finished his explanation, the group found themselves standing in front of a yellow door.

"Now you can see the Library," he said and knocked on the door. "Master Boddy, the guests are ready."

He opened the door into the room, and the six Mobians filed inside to meet their host.


	2. Meet the Host

Chapter #2: Meet the Host

Of all the rooms the six guests had seen, the Library was the darkest…and perhaps the creepiest. The left and right walls were lined with bookshelves stuffed with perhaps hundreds of books, some thick, some small. Flames from the room's fireplace cast an ominous shadow over the room. And in the middle of the room was a table cluttered with stacks of books and papers. An office lamp was set on it, but it was not turned on. At the furthest end, a huge chair had its back to them. Small movement in the chair told them that their host was sitting in it, but he remained silent. The group became uneasy.

"This is gettin' weird," whispered Vector.

"This guy is creeping me out," Amy said as she clung to Sonic's arm, much to his annoyance.

And suddenly the person in the chair spoke.

"Welcome to Tudor Mansion, my friends. Or should I say enemies?"

Sonic instantly tensed, not just because the voice had become hostile, but also because he _knew _that voice well…all too well.

The chair swiveled around to reveal the supposed "Mr. Boddy".

"_Dr. Eggman!!!" _everyone shouted simultaneously.

"What are you up to this time?" said Sonic angrily.

Their so-called host grinned wickedly. "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out. I lured you here so I could capture you and hold you for ransom if I wanted. Now you can't get in my way when I try to take over the world!"

"Whaddya gonna do with us? Lock us up in your secret dungeon?" growled Vector.

"Who needs dungeons and fences when you have a comfortable mansion that has the best in security?" he replied. Locking gazes with his captives, particularly Sonic, he folded his hands and continued. "Now, if any of you want to get out of this _alive_, then you will abide by _my_ rules."

Rouge folded her arms in disgust and Vector showed his teeth angrily, but all were silent and did not object. So the villain listed his rules.

"You will have the run of the mansion and the outdoor areas within its boundaries; after all, it isn't mine, so I don't care if you wreck it. However, there are a few private rooms of mine. Any closed rooms with an off-limits sign are _not_ to be entered! There are rooms upstairs that will serve as your quarters. My butler will serve you your meals at 9:00, 12:00, and 6:00. No escape attempts, otherwise I will be forced to use solitary confinement. Is that clear?"

"Clear as crystal, Doc," Sonic spat through gritted teeth, emphasizing his anger with a cold glare.

Knuckles, however, couldn't contain his fury so well. He blurted out furiously, "You won't keep us locked up here forever! We'll get outta here and stop you!"

He sneered back, "The only way you'll be able to stop my plan is if you kill me, Knucklehead. But I assure you that I don't plan on dying for a long time."

…But of course, "Mr. Boddy" would be the victim of foul play that same night…


	3. Murder!

Chapter #3: Murder!

The guests, who were sleeping in their quarters, awoke to robotic screaming. Rouge covered her highly sensitive ears, and Amy, who was sleeping with her in the same room, held her pillow over her head in hopes to muffle the din.

Vector, who hated being awakened by loud noise, sat up in bed and shouted to the other boys, "Geez, all this screamin' could wake the dead! What's goin' on down there?!"

They climbed out of their beds and rushed down to the first floor to see what was happening. Eggman's two minions, Decoe and Bocoe, were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Vector yelled, _"Shut up, you bucket brains!"_ at the top of his lungs, and the screaming ceased. "What the heck is goin' on?!"

"Dr. Eggman is…is…dead!" stammered the short one (I keep forgetting which is which).

"_What?!"_ everyone exclaimed.

The two 'bots pointed down the basement, where the huge form of their host was lying facedown at the bottom of the steps.

Amy covered her eyes and turned away, feeling sick. Team Sonic just stood there in disbelief, and Rouge crossed her arms and shook her head.

Vector went down the steps to check for vital signs and clues. He took about a minute, and then he called up to them with a sigh, "He's dead all right." Then he walked back up the stairs and asked Decoe and Bocoe, "Hey, bolt heads, do you have any idea when this happened?"

"N-n-no, we just f-found him h-here," they stuttered.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," said a voice. Jenkins the butler appeared.

Vector raised an eyebrow and then asked, "Okay, Jenkins, when did you last see Eggman?"

The butler was precise in his reply. "A few minutes after he talked to the six of you, he went upstairs to his quarters, but then he came back down here at around 9:30. Master Eggman had a habit of getting a midnight snack and thinking of new plans in either the Study or the Library. I didn't see him again."

"Could this have been an accident?" wondered Amy.

Vector shook his head sadly. "I saw a deep wound in his chest; no fall down the stairs did that. This was no accident; this was homicide."

"_Homicide?!"_ gasped Decoe. "You mean…_murder?!"_

"But…who would do such a thing?" Bocoe asked.

"I think we can rule out the robots in the mansion," said Jenkins. "We have no real motive for his murder." Then he turned to the Mobians with an accusing eye. "But, if I am quite right, _the six of you __**do.**__"_

"Say what?!" Sonic yelled. "I wouldn't kill the Doc! Even if he was trying to take over the world!"

Vector shook his head. "No, hedgehog, Jenkins is right. One of us bumped off Egghead."

This horrible realization left the guests silent. They all cast their eyes down in thought, but every now and then one of them would suspiciously glance at the others. It was Rouge who started pointing fingers first.

"Well,_Knucklehead_ here was the one who was hotheaded about stopping the doctor. **He** did it!"

"_Did__**not!"**_ the echidna screamed at her. "For all I know, _you_ could be the culprit!!!"

"What?! Not sweet little me!"

"Sweet little me my _foot!"_

"Well, why don't you prove it wasn't you?" the bat said with a smirk as though she had already won.

"Fine! I was in the Kitchen getting a midnight snack!"

"The butler said that Eggman did that at one time last night. You could've got him then."

That caught Knux off guard. "Yeah, well…he wasn't there when I went in! Beat that!"

"_Will you two shut up?!" _Amy yelled. "It could be anybody!"

Both of them turned on her. "Then that means it couldbe _you_, right?" Rouge said suspiciously.

"N-no, I was just saying that…_I didn't do it!_ It was…it was Tails!"

The fox stared at the girl in shock. "What?! It wasn't me! Amy, how could you turn on me like that?!"

Sonic covered his ears and backed away from the shouting quartet with a grimace, not wanting to be a part of it. Vector rolled his eyes and then stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, and Tails stopped shouting and turned to him, and Sonic uncovered his ears with a relieved face.

"Guys, pointin' fingers at each other doesn't help a thing!" the crocodile told them. "Let's just hush up and cool off for a moment." The others knew he was right, so the quarreling ceased.

Jenkins saw the quiet moment as an opportunity to speak to the guests about something important. "I understand that the motive for killing the Doctor was that you would thwart his attempt at world conquest." The guests nodded. "Well, when the Master made this plan, he feared that this exact thing would happen, so he wrote in his will that _no one _is allowed to leave the mansion until the murderer is found and proven guilty by the robot servants."

The Mobians, even Vector, were taken aback. Then, in perfect unison, they shouted, _"WHAT?!"_

"I thought your reactions would be like that. I am afraid that there is nothing I can do about your predicament. I might not look like it, but I am a Robian, and I must follow the Doctor's orders without questioning them. All six of you must remain here until we discover who killed him, and the culprit will be punished for his…or her…actions. Now, your breakfast was prepared some time ago, and it might be cold now. Come into the Dining Room for your food."

At the mentioning of food, the guests put away the subject, all except for Vector, who held his chin in thought. Jenkins led them to the Dining Room, where a feast of bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, and every breakfast food you can imagine had been prepared for them. They sat in their chosen seats and started piling food on their plates. The butler left to do some of his daily chores.

After a minute or so of silent eating, Vector set down his fork and declared, "I dunno about you guys, but I'm gonna try to find out whodunit!"

All eating ceased instantly. No one spoke for a moment, and then Rouge snapped, "Who says it wasn't you who did it?"

The croc rolled his eyes and added, "I don't hafta be the only one playin' detective." Rouge understood and turned back to her food.

Vector sat back in his chair and watches his companions' behavior. He noticed Rouge glaring at Knuckles (who sat across the table from her) with an accusing eye, and the echidna scowling back. Amy and Tails picked at their plates like they had lost their appetites, but on occasion they would glance at everyone with suspicious looks. Sonic, who finished before the rest, leaned back in his chair, making it stand on its hind legs. Then he put his feet on the table and closed his eyes for a short nap. But Vector observed that one eye was open slightly; the hedgehog was probably studying his friends as well.

Finally the croc stood up, pulled out his trusty notepad and pen, and said, "If we're gonna solve this case, we might as well start now." The pen clicked, and the hand began to write.

"Let's go back to the night of the murder…"


	4. Conversation in the Dining Room

Chapter #4: The Conversation in the Dining Room

When Jenkins returned to the Dining Room to clean up the table, the guests barely noticed him; Vector was too busy talking about the facts he knew about the murder, and the others were too busy listening.

"Why don't we review all we know first? According to Jenkins," Vector said, nodding towards him and acknowledging his presence, "Egghead had a tendency to get up late at night, have a snack in the Kitchen, and think up plans in the Study or the Library. He said that the doctor went upstairs a few minutes after talking to us. Then half an hour later, he spotted the doctor coming down the stairs to the first floor at 9:30 last night. He never did see which room he went into. At the time of the sighting, we were all checking out our rooms." He looked up and stared at each of them. "But later…correct me if I'm wrong…we all went down to the first floor." When nobody objected to his statement, he nodded and wrote the fact down in his notepad. "After that, we spread out and did our own things for a few hours, then we went up to bed. So, the time we were downstairs with Eggman and before the body's discovery is the timeframe for the murder."

Tails looked at his watch, estimating the time Decoe and Bocoe had found the body—approximately 8:30 a.m. Then he counted on his fingers. "That's 11 hours. A pretty vague timeframe, Vector," he said.

"I know it is. Some clues should narrow it down quite a bit…and maybe some accounts of the murder night would help." Vector looked at Sonic. "I guess we can start with you, hedgehog. Go ahead and give us your story."

Sonic removed his feet from the table and said, "Mine's simple: I played some games in the Billiard Room a bit past midnight; I was nowhere near the basement. You know that's true, Vector, 'cause you and Knuckles played a few games with me and left after a while."

The croc nodded his head in agreement, and he noticed that Knuckles was doing the same.

Rouge, with her eyes still on Knuckles, asked Sonic, "Exactly when did the echidna leave the room?"

The hedgehog scratched his head and shrugged; he wasn't sure when Knuckles had left. Vector answered for him. "He left at about 10:45. I recall you saying that you were going to get a snack, Knux."

"And I _did_ get a snack!" the Guardian protested. "I got a grilled cheese sandwich!" (A/N: Sorry if the sandwich makes him look like a wimp.) He glanced at Rouge, who was still eyeing him suspiciously, and added, "I went up to bed after that. I didn't make any extra stops." After saying that, he gave a raspberry at the white bat, who just folded her arms and glared back. (A/N: Again, sorry if Knux is acting like a baby.)

Vector quickly wrote down every word that Sonic and Knuckles had said. _All right then, I've got two "alibis",_ he thought to himself. _I'd better keep my ears open in case they slip up and contradict their stories._ Then he turned to his next suspect with a friendly grin. "Tails, why don't you go next?"

Tails nodded and said, "I didn't do much. I went into the Lounge and read a few newspapers. Then I went back upstairs for bed at 11:45."

"Anything else?" asked Vector, who wasn't completely convinced that was all to Tails' story.

Suddenly the fox sat up a bit more. "Oh yeah, one other thing! Amy came in at one time, I'd say around 10:30, but she didn't stay long; I think she said she was bored." He looked at her to confirm his guess, and Amy nodded her head in reply. Strangely, she didn't speak a single word to him or Vector.

Vector decided to try to get a word out of her. "How about you, Amy? Where were you last night?"

The girl hedgehog bit her lip and looked down at her place mat. Then she answered without looking up at him. "I went to bed before any of you guys. But I woke up hungry later and…went into the Kitchen for a snack; I think it was 12:30. I went back to bed without stopping."

Vector wrote down the account, but at the same time he thought about Amy's strange behavior. _Pausing in the middle of a story, not talking much, refusing to look me in the eye…sounds like a guilty party to me. I'll talk to her as soon as I can without the others around._

Then Vector turned his gaze to Rouge. When she noticed him looking at her, she began to explain her whereabouts in detail. "I toured the mansion a second time, probably taking five minutes in each room. I started with the Lounge at 11:00…Tails was there." The fox nodded his head, remembering Rouge checking the area for a while. "Then I went to the Dining Room, the Kitchen—"

"Was _I _there?" Knuckles asked with a smirk.

The bat glared at him and said, "No. You were in bed by then…supposedly. May I continue? After that was the Ballroom, the Conservatory…then the Billiard Room…Sonic was there alone playing pool…and then the Library. But…it was locked. Eggman was probably in there. I took a peek into the Study, and then went to bed sometime after midnight, about 12:15." She turned to Vector. "Now, what about you, detective? Where were _you_?"

The crocodile answered confidently, "I was in the basement around 11:30."

Rouge glared and pointed a finger. "So _you _could've done it!"

Amy then said, "No way, Rouge! He's trying to solve the mystery!"

"Doesn't mean he's not the murderer! He could be doing it to hide the truth!"

Vector lost his patience. _"Shut up, you two!"_ The female hedgehog and the bat instantly became silent. "Thanks for defending me, Amy, but Rouge has a point. However, I think I can prove her wrong. Ya see, Jenkins came down there a minute or so after me and stayed with me the whole time I was down there. You can talk to him if you don't believe me."

"Why were you down there anyway?" Knux asked with a bit of suspicion in his voice.

Vector sighed and replied, "I was curious about that room. Jenkins didn't show it to us, and he called it 'unimportant'. Egghead said we could roam freely around the house, and he didn't exclude the basement, so I just wanted to check it out. It's a detective's habit."

"So if Eggman wasn't in the basement before 12:30, then that means he was murdered after that, right?" Sonic asked.

Jenkins decided to join the discussion. "I don't think so," he said. "There is a robot guard who patrols the hallway to your quarters, and he saw all of you come in before 12:30. I asked him if any of you left your rooms after that time, and he said no."

"So the Doc was murdered between 9:30 and 12:30!" Vector exclaimed, happy that the investigation was getting somewhere.

"But there's another problem," Rouge pointed out. "If none of us ever saw Eggman anywhere near the basement, then how did he get there?"

Tails eagerly replied, "He must have been murdered in another room, and then the killer dragged him into the basement when nobody was looking!"

Vector grinned at the fox's deduction. "That's a good idea, Tails. I was gonna say that myself."

"Let's have another look at that body!" suggested Knuckles.

The gang jumped out of their seats and raced out of the Dining Room to the top of the basement stairs. But then they stopped and stared at the bottom of the steps. Even Vector was completely baffled.

"What in the world…"


	5. Searching for Clues

Chapter #5: Searching for Clues

Amy screamed at what she saw at the bottom of the basement, where their host's body was…or rather, _had been._

"He's gone!" she screeched.

"Jeez, you don't hafta scream it in my ear! We can see it!" Knuckles yelled back.

Tails scratched his head. "The robots wouldn't interfere with the crime scene, so they didn't take him. But where is he?"

"Betcha he wasn't dead after all; he was just playin' possum," said Knux with a snort.

"No, there were no vital signs, echidna. He was dead," Vector corrected him.

Amy's eyes widened a bit. "Then…do you think he's…become a _ghost_?" She shivered with fear.

Vector shook his head at the girl's silliness. "I don't believe in ghosts, so I say 'no'."

"Well, ghost or no ghost, the body is gone now," said Rouge. "So now how do we know how he was killed? Did you see anything, crocodile?"

"Yes I did. Most of it was cuts and bruises, but there was a wound in his chest close by his heart."

"Does he even have a heart?" mumbled Sonic.

The crocodile glanced disapprovingly at the blue hedgehog for the interruption. "I'm not done. He had some nasty bruises on his head, and there was a rope burn around his neck. That gives us three different ways of death: blow to the head with a blunt weapon, a piercing wound like a dagger or a gun bullet, and strangling."

"Strangling? Vector, most of us can't even reach his shoulders!" said Knux.

"_Most_ of us. I'm tall enough, and some of us can fly up high enough and have enough force to choke him." Rouge and Tails turned red in their faces. "That still makes it a possibility. Now, there is a way we can rule out the weapon used: we just need to look for anything that can be used as a weapon in this house."

"I can see where this is going: you want us to look for clues," said Sonic.

"That's right! Now, should we split up or go in pairs?"

There was silence. Many of them didn't like the idea of going alone, since they couldn't keep track of each other. But they also didn't like the possibility of being teamed up with Eggman's killer. Which one was worse? That was hard to decide.

"Why not the teams?" suggested Sonic. "We can keep better track of each other that way."

Everybody felt better about this choice, so they agreed. But once again a problem sprang up: who was going with whom? Amy was the first to decide, and you can guess what she said.

"I'm with Sonic!"

One glare from the hero said that it wasn't going to happen. Luckily Tails saved the day. "Why don't you go with me instead, Amy?" he suggested. The girl was reluctant, but she gave in.

Sonic smiled once he saw that Amy was out of his way. "I'll stick with Vector."

"Fine with me!" said the croc.

But it wasn't fine with the two that hadn't gotten their say.

"_I don't wanna be teamed up with __**her**__!" _yelled Knuckles.

"Me neither!" Rouge complained. "I'd rather be teamed up with _Vector _than _Knucklehead _here!"

"Sorry, you two, but there's nobody else, and we can't trust you to go alone." The bat and echidna opened their mouths to complain even more, but a stern look from Vector closed them. They glared at each other for the rest of the time. Vector then said, "Now, who's goin' to start where?"

"Tails and I can check the Kitchen!" Amy volunteered.

"Let's have a closer look at that basement, Vector," Sonic told his partner.

"Okay! How about Rouge and Knux?" The two were still scowling at one another. _"Guys!"_ They jumped to attention. "Decide where you're lookin' first!"

Rouge shouted, "Conservatory!", and Knuckles yelled, "Lounge!" at the same time. Once again they had a glaring match.

Vector was beginning to have second thoughts about teaming the two up. "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea…"

"Vector, just ignore them. They'll get it worked out somehow," said Sonic, and he and the croc departed. Tails and Amy also left the bat and echidna quarreling.

* * *

**In the Basement…**

As Sonic and Vector walked down the stone steps into the basement, the noise upstairs faded away and darkness surrounded them like fog. The croc took a pair of flashlights from his pocket (never know when you might need a light!) and handed one to Sonic. Together they waved their lights around, revealing a dusty room with furniture covered in white sheets. Several rotten shelves held old books and picture frames. Cobwebs were everywhere.

Sonic whistled, breaking the silence. "It's like somethin' out of a horror movie," he said.

Vector didn't answer; he was looking at the books, trying to make out the faded print on the spines. Sonic just shrugged and began lifting up the white sheets to see what was under them. The croc found an old journal and pulled it out. He flipped the pages to the latest entry and called to Sonic.

"Hey, hedgehog! Looks like there's a guy named Boddy after all! This is his journal!"

Sonic stopped what he was doing and joined him. "But…then how did Eggman get this place?"

"Beats me. This entry says that Boddy was planning to go on vacation three weeks ago. We got the invitations a week ago, so Egghead did send us those letters. He must've taken over this mansion before sending out the invites."

"But then what happened to Boddy?"

"I dunno…" Vector shut the book and looked at his partner seriously, "…maybe he's dead."

"…Whoa."

"We'd better keep lookin' around."

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the Kitchen…**

"Hellooo? Anybody in here?" Amy called as she opened the door to the Kitchen. Of course, no one was there, nor did they have a reason to be; Eggman's robots were known for being bad cooks. With a shrug, she stepped inside. Tails followed behind her, and then they paused to study the room.

The Kitchen was a rather unusual, old-fashioned room. The floor was made of stone except for the center, which had wood instead. While modern kitchens have black-and-white checkered walls, only the northern wall in the Kitchen (the one that an extra-large sink stood against) followed this standard. Also, the stove was a bit old-fashioned and surrounded with stone. On one side of the room, there was a massive cabinet, and a tall pantry stood in a corner. In the center on the wooden floor was a round table. The only thing that looked familiar in the entire room was a brand-new, grey refrigerator that stood in between two windows on the western wall.

"Sooo…where should we start?" the fox said more to himself than to Amy. He expected her to answer, but she didn't. The reason why: she was busy rummaging through the fridge. He folded his arms and cocked an eyebrow. "Amy, can you tell me why you picked the Kitchen?"

The girl turned around with a clever smirk that imitated Sonic's. "To search for any clues." They stared each other down until she admitted, "Okay, okay, I was just hungry! I didn't eat that much at breakfast…I kinda lost my appetite back there. But I'm hungry now." She returned to digging through the fridge. "I doubt we'll even find anything. The only thing interesting here is the food!"

Tails sighed; he should've guessed why Amy's choice had been a place with food. Determined to look for clues, he went over to the big cabinet and bent down to open a cupboard. He got down on his knees and stuck his head inside…

"_Aaaaah!!" _

Startled, the fox hit his head on the cupboard's ceiling. _"Ow!_ Amy! Don't scream so loud like that! You scared the heck out of…"

His voice trailed off when he saw what Amy had screamed about. She had found something in the fridge that certainly didn't belong there. He picked the item up as though it were a poisonous snake and said, "We'd better find Vector."

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the Conservatory…**

"Well, was my choice a good one?" Rouge said with a grin to her "partner".

Knuckles didn't reply; instead he just looked out the large window of the Conservatory. _She's just plain lucky she won our little rock-paper-scissors game, or I'd be taking a nap in the Lounge,_ he thought. However, he had to admit that the flowers in that room were beautiful; they reminded him of Angel Island. Hit with a small pang of homesickness and then rage at their captor for keeping him from his duties, he clenched his fists and decided to study the room to help him cool down.

The walls of the Conservatory were a light variation of lavender, and one wall had a large window (the window mentioned previously) that had a good view of the mansion's beautiful fountain and the nearby rose garden. The wall to the right of the big window had a set of three smaller windows, and against that wall were the room's flowers, kept in wooden box filled with soil. Also, the floor was made of black-and-white checkered tiles. The Conservatory had very little furniture—a round tea table, two chairs, and only four potted plants, one of which caught Knuckles' eye, and he moved toward it for a closer look.

The plant appeared to be some type of fern in a short, round pot colored an ugly yellow; to him, it seemed out of place in the room. Then a beam of sunlight came through the window behind him, and his eyes were blinded by a gleam of metal in the pot. After rubbing his eyes, the echidna cautiously put one hand into it and felt paper. He withdrew his hand a few inches, and he saw newspaper rolled up around something…something made of steel. He took a good hold on it and pulled it out. And then he saw what was inside the paper.

"What the…?!" he cried in surprise, and he dropped what he was holding. The object hit the floor, making the loud noise of steel impacting the tiles.

Rouge, who had been admiring the fountain, jumped nearly a foot in the air at the sound. She whirled around to scold Knuckles for being so loud, but she stopped and stared in shock at the item lying on the floor.

_A revolver._

"What's a gun doing in a potted plant?" wondered Knux aloud.

"Isn't it obvious, Knucklehead? Someone was trying to hide it! This may be the murder weapon!" The bat carefully picked it up and put it into her pocket. "I should show it to Vector."

"Hey! _I _found it, not you! _I _should show it to him!" The echidna attempted to reach into Rouge's pocket, but she knocked him backward into the yellow pot. It broke, and dirt spilled all over him.

"Oh, great! Now look what you did!" the bat complained as she went for the broom in one corner. When Knux didn't fire back, she turned around and saw him studying the floor. "What are you doing?! Are you even listening to me?!"

Strangely enough, Knux ignored her. He had noticed something unusual: the floor under the plant he had knocked over was made of _wood_, not checkered tile. He knocked on the floor with one fist.

"It's hollow, Rouge."

The bat bent down and did the same thing. "Hmm…you're right, I guess. It doesn't seem to be part of the floor either." She slipped her hands under the edge of the wood panel and lifted up. To her surprise, Knux was helping out. Together they lifted up the panel and revealed a secret stairway.

All Knuckles could say was, "Whoa."

"We'd better check this out," said Rouge, and, with Knuckles following behind, she crept down the steps into the dark tunnel awaiting them.

* * *

**Meanwhile, back in the Basement…**

Vector and Sonic had scoured the entire basement but had found nothing else of any importance…except the vintage wine rack. The croc had grabbed a well-aged bottle and a glass cup, and, after shining it up, had poured a drink. Sonic refused to have a single drop of the bitter stuff, but Vector filled his cup to the brim and had it all at once. It was a mistake; it knocked him out, and he was fast asleep on an old, moth-eaten couch.

Sonic decided to search around a little more while waiting for the crocodile to wake up. He was reading an old book with many missing pages when he heard noise coming from the wine rack. "Vector, are you awake? You better not be getting any more to drink!" he called as he went to check it out. But when he came to the couch, he saw the croc still asleep. But now the rack stood in a place far to the right of its original spot. A gaping tunnel was there.

"What's up with that rack?" Sonic wondered out loud as he cautiously walked into the tunnel. He had taken only about ten steps when he heard another set of footsteps. He stopped and decided to go back for Vector. But just as he turned around to do so, someone grabbed him from behind and held a hand over his mouth.

"Guess who?" whispered a voice…a very recognizable voice.


	6. Weapons for Murder

Chapter #6: Weapons for Murder

Sonic kicked his attacker's shin, and he was let go. The hedgehog whirled around and said, _"Rouge! _Don't do that!"

As she was rubbing her bruised shin, the bat apologized, although Sonic knew she didn't mean it because of the satisfied grin she had on her face. "Where's Vector?" she asked. "Knux and I found something."

"On the couch," the hedgehog replied with a roll of his eyes.

At that moment, the croc hiccuped, and his eyes fluttered halfway open. "Somebody say my name?" he mumbled, half asleep.

"You drank too much at once," said Sonic. "And Rouge came from a secret tunnel behind the wine rack."

At first, Vector only mumbled, "Oh, well that's nice…" He turned over on the couch and seemed to fall asleep again. A few seconds passed, and suddenly he turned around, this time wide awake. _"Secret tunnel?!"_ he exclaimed. He started to get up, but lost his balance and fell onto the floor with a thud.

Rouge snickered, but when he glared at her, she switched tracks and answered him. "There's something better. Knucklehead and I found…" she stopped in mid-sentence and turned around. "Where _is _Knucklehead? He was right behind me…" She started back into the passage, and Sonic and Vector followed with their flashlights.

The trio stopped at a junction of five tunnels, one of them being theirs. "Oh great. He could've gone down any one of 'em," growled the croc. "It'll take forever to find 'im!"

Rouge studied the sign in the junction that showed which rooms the tunnels led to. "Maybe not. I think I know where he went. Come on!" She chose the one closest to their left.

The passage continued on for a few minutes, and then they found a set of stairs leading up. They climbed the staircase, and Vector pushed up on the wooden panel at the top. The trio poked their heads out and quickly recognized the room.

The room was the appropriately named Lounge—a place for relaxation and conversation. It bore a resemblance to the Ballroom, but it was smaller and had less furniture. The wooden floor, which had a red rug with green and yellow stripes, was a lighter color, as well. Several pictures decorated the walls. Two green couches and a matching armchair took up most of the room. There were also two lamps, a small potted, exotic plant, a fireplace (not burning right now, of course), a couple end tables, and a piano—not any variation of the traditional grand piano, but rather the tall kind found in Western saloons. But Sonic, Vector, and Rouge ignored these things; they were more interested in the lone occupant of the room.

On one couch was Knuckles, fast asleep on his side with his head resting on an arm of the couch.

"Knew he'd be in the Lounge," said Rouge. Smiling mischievously, she climbed out of the passageway and grabbed a newspaper off the nearest end table. She rolled it up, tiptoed over to the couch, and whacked the back of the echidna's head with the paper. All three jumped when he cried out loudly in pain and rolled off the couch, wide awake.

"_All right! Who did that?"_ shouted Knuckles, glaring furiously at the three visitors.

Like something out of a cartoon, Sonic and Vector pointed at Rouge, who hid the newspaper behind her back with a guilty smile.

"That hurt more than ya think! What did ya do?! Put a weight inside it? It felt more like a bar of metal than paper! Gimme that thing!"

He went over and snatched the newspaper out of the bat's hands. As soon as he opened it, a strange item fell out of it and landed on his foot, making him cry out again. He hopped on the other foot and held the injured one in his hands; the sight sent Rouge into peals of laughter.

"Oh shut up! This isn't funny!"

Vector picked up the object and held it in his hands. "You're right, it's not. Take a look at this." He held the object for all to see.

It was a _lead pipe_, and one end was stained red.

"Boyz…and Rouge…I think we've got the murder weapon."

The gang was silent for a second. Then Rouge said, "But that isn't the only weapon in this house; Knucklehead and I found a revolver in the Conservatory!" She pulled out the gun and handed it to Vector. He studied it for a moment.

"I doubt that's the weapon," Sonic said with a frown. "We would've heard Egghead get shot last night."

"What if he used the back of the gun as a blunt weapon?" suggested Knuckles.

Vector nodded. "That could have happened. We'd better keep it with us in case we need to study it some more." He tucked the gun and the lead pipe into his tuxedo pockets. "Now let's go find Tails and Amy and see what they've got."

Just then they heard calls. "Vector! Sonic! Where are you?!" They came out of the room and found Amy and Tails by the basement stairs. The girl hedgehog immediately latched onto Sonic, nearly choking him in her fright.

"Geez, Amy! What's your problem?!" gasped the hero.

"She found something in the Kitchen," replied Tails. He held up the item Amy had found in the fridge.

Sitting on a sheet of rolled-up newspaper was a long, sharp dagger, and the end of it, like the Lead Pipe, was stained red_._

"Oh boy, not another murder weapon!" said Knuckles.

Tails' eyebrows rose. "Another?"

Vector showed them the Revolver and the Lead Pipe. Amy shivered and clung to her hero even tighter upon seeing the gun.

The fox rolled up the Knife in the paper and gave it to Vector, saying with a confused expression, "That's kinda puzzling. It's rare that a criminal uses more than one weapon…right, Vector?"

"That's pretty true. But we could be wrong, I dunno…" the 'dile said in frustration. Then an idea struck him. "…or maybe he's tryin' to throw us off…" He studied the others' reactions to this closely.

Sonic whistled and shook his head in amazement at the killer's cunning. He was cut off when Amy hugged him tighter, nearly turning his face the same color as the rest of him. Rouge grinned, very familiar with this tactic. Knuckles just folded his arms and grunted in agreement.

Tails nodded thoughtfully to Vector's theory. "He's probably right. The majority of criminals will attempt to throw off the police. Leaving more than one murder weapon with identical clues like these is one way to do it."

Rouge stared at him and muttered to herself, "I wonder how he knows so much about crime…"

Unfortunately, the fox heard her and her tone of suspicion. "I've read a lot of books on crime scene investigation, Rouge," he said a bit harshly with a glare.

"Take it easy, you two," Vector warned them before a quarrel could break out.

Tails promptly obeyed, and then he asked, "So, where do we go from here?"

Vector rubbed his chin, contemplating the group's next move. "My detective instinct is tellin' me that there might be more where these three came from. Let's keep lookin' around."

A voice made them jump. "I think you need to halt your search for a minute." Jenkins walked up to them with a look of worry on his face.

"What's the problem?" Sonic asked.

"Dr. Eggman might not have been the only victim last night. Come with me."

Although the guests were completely puzzled by his words, they followed him up the stairs to the second floor and down a few hallways. Finally they came to one particular hallway that was blocked off by yellow tape. Four Egg Pawns were gathered around something in the middle of the corridor. Jenkins lifted the tape to let the Mobians through, and the robots parted to let them see what they were observing. The sight puzzled the six just as much as it astonished them.

Inches from their feet lay the remains of an Egg Pawn, with several parts strewn about the floor and a dent on the side of the head roughly the size of Vector's fist, perhaps a bit bigger.

Vector shook his head and asked Jenkins, "Any idea when this happened?"

"We believe that it happened sometime last night, probably within the timeframe for Master Eggman's murder."

He turned back to the Pawn's remains, and closed his eyes in thought. Then he opened them and bent down to study the victim better. The dent puzzled him most; what could have made something that large? He looked at his five companions out of the corner of his eye.

"Gang, this case might've just turned into a double-homicide."


	7. The Plot Thickens

Chapter #7: The Plot Thickens

Silence reigned among the six guests as Vector's proclamation rippled through them and Eggman's servants. Each Mobian was in deep thought, and a few suspicious looks were exchanged between them. Even the Egg Pawns, who were programmed to have no emotions, became afraid; if one of them had been destroyed, then who was to say that the murderer wouldn't strike again? Jenkins also felt the same; was there a serial killer living amongst them in Tudor Mansion?

But even though everyone looked tense, one of them wasn't.

"So an Egg Pawn got banged up last night. What's the big deal?"

All parties turned to the speaker: Sonic. Tails was especially stunned by his best friend's indifference. "Sonic, we should investigate this because the culprit and Eggman's murderer might be the same person!" he objected. "This Egg Pawn might have some clues as to who committed both crimes."

Vector nodded; the young fox was proving to be a good sleuth. "He's right, hedgehog. There might be a clue that could solve both mysteries."

"Like that dent in the head?" questioned Knuckles, who gestured toward the victim's head.

"That in particular," replied the reptile, who stared at it in puzzlement; he still hadn't figured out the cause of that abnormally huge mark.

Rouge seemed to read his mind. "Stuck, crocodile? I know the answer." Everyone stared at her, eagerly awaiting her guess. She smiled and was silent for a second to add suspense, and then she pointed at Vector. "It was _your_ fist, smarty-sleuth. The dent is big enough."

Amy gasped, and the four looked at the accused party, who was obviously insulted. But he didn't jump to his own defense; rather, he smiled back and, much to everyone's surprise and to Rouge's disappointment, he explained how that wasn't the case.

"Sorry, bat-girl, but that deduction of yours isn't quite on the mark. Although my fist is big enough to make a fatal dent in a robot's head, this particular dent is a tad too big and perhaps a bit too deep. Also, if you look closely enough, you'll see that the dent extends in a few places; the only way that can happen is if the head was hit three times or more in the same area, with the succeeding blows moving slightly away from the first point of contact. My fighting style makes this blow impossible. Here, stand him up; I'll show ya what I mean."

With Jenkins's permission, the other Egg Pawns carefully lifted the hull of their fallen comrade into a sitting position, and Vector stood over him with his fists clasped together, continuing his lecture.

"The blow is right on the forehead, yet when I stand in front of it (which is where the attacker was probably standing, by the way), my arms reach too far. If I _had_ done this, then I would have hit him in the center of the head, not on the forehead."

Tails listened attentively throughout the whole explanation, mentally noting every detail and gesture Vector said or made; Sonic understood the bottom line as well, but he didn't seem to reach a conclusion of who…or what…had really destroyed Eggman's lackey. Knuckles was lost the minute Vector went into the confusing details, and Rouge simply folded her arms, scowled, and ignored everything he said. Amy remained silent and looked down at her feet, listening but not fully comprehending.

Vector noticed Knux's blank look, and he summed up his speech. "My arms are too long to have given this Egg Pawn the beating it got, period."

"Ohh…" mumbled the echidna, his brain still aching.

"Whatever you say, Sherlock," huffed Rouge. "Now tell me this: who _did _do it?"

"I'm still not sure who did it, but I do know one thing: he or she must have had one pretty big weapon with a long handle. Nobody could have reached up so sigh and given such a beating with his bare hands." Then he noticed that Rouge was watching Knuckles, who was keeping an Egg Pawn away from him with clenched fists. He sighed and added, "Not even Knucklehead with his special gloves, Rouge."

The Guardian looked at the bat and, realizing that he had been suspected for the Pawn's murder, glared at his silent accuser. She just folded her arms again and pouted.

Suddenly Tails, who had been thinking on the subject of the weapon, perked up. "Hey, Vector, what if one of those weapons we found was what hammered the Pawn?" he asked excitedly. "After all, some of the fluid they have in them looks like blood. The fluid could have stained the weapon when the attacker beat the robot."

The crocodile also brightened, but when he brought the three weapons from his pockets, he frowned. "I dunno, kid…none of 'em are the right shape to make such a dent. Good try though." The fox shrugged and went into thought once more.

After a moment of silence, Vector turned to Jenkins and shrugged. "I might need some time to think on this one. Give me an hour. I'll probably have a lead by then."

The coyote nodded. "All right then. You are all dismissed."

There were several sighs of relief, and the six guests quietly walked back to the first floor and unintentionally returned to the staircase to the Basement. Each one of them looked down at the bottom and shuddered, remembering the body that had lain there only an hour or so ago. Uncomfortable silence grew between them until Sonic shattered it with a question.

"Anybody up for some pool?"

Knuckles glared at him and snapped, "There have been two murders and all you're thinkin' about is pool?!"

The blue hedgehog backed away from him with his hands up in the air. "Take a chill pill, Knux; I was just askin'." Then he leaned against the stone railing of the staircase. "Besides, it might do us some good to back away from all this mystery stuff for a while."

Tails, always ready to agree with his best friend, piped up, "He's right. It's easier to tackle a problem with a fresh mind."

The group looked to Vector, who, judging by the relieved look on his face, seemed to agree with the hero and his sidekick. "Sounds good to me." He smiled at Sonic and said, "I think I'll take you up on that offer…that is, if you wanna get trounced."

Sonic laughed. "You…whip _me_?! I kicked your tail last night! All right, if that's how you want it…" He took off at a run for the Billiard Room, with Vector chuckling and jogging after him. The others hesitated and, after realizing that they had nothing better to do, also walked for the room.

The Billiard Room was a small, modest room with the Library and the Conservatory as its neighbors. The walls had a few pictures hung on them, and on one there was a dartboard. The floor was a nice, polished wood, and it was bare except for a small, red rug in front of a cozy fireplace. One wall was a set of four tall windows with green curtains. But the main highlight of the room was its namesake—a large billiard table of the finest quality. Already the pool balls were set in their rack on one side of the table, ready to be used for a game. Without hesitation, Sonic and Vector took two billiard sticks from a rack of six and proceeded to play a friendly game of "eight-ball".

About twenty minutes later, Sonic managed to knock in the 8-ball (and accurately predict which pocket it would go in, at that). Crocodile and hedgehog complimented each other on their moves with real sportsmanship. Then they discovered that, much to their surprise, Knuckles _and_ Rouge showed an interest in the game. While Sonic calmly began to explain the rules, Vector retired to a small chair and quietly looked over the details of both of the recent murders. A minute went by, and then ten, and still he had gotten nowhere; there just weren't enough facts for either case to give him a lead. To add to that, it wasn't quite clear whether or not the main killer had also attacked the Egg Pawn, or vice versa; assuming so might lead him to barking up the wrong tree with either one. He had to keep the clues for each separate until he made a connection between the two cases.

Before long, his hour passed, and Jenkins silently entered the room and observed the activity in it. By now Knuckles and Rouge had gotten frustrated with each other (they had both won a game after intense competition) and quit playing, leaving the table open for Sonic and Tails. Amy continued to be a bystander, though it was obvious that she was interested in pool. All of this the butler took in with one glance, and then he focused his attention on the crocodile in the corner. He went over to him and sat in another chair beside him. Instead of asking, he simply waited for Vector to notice him, which he did.

"Sorry, Jenkins, but I've got squat on either case. I need more clues and more time."

"I am not pressuring you, sir," Jenkins replied in a low voice. "And I do not wish to; I know from experience with Master Eggman that great minds need room for thought. However, there is something I must question you about, and I would like you to answer me honestly."

The detective shrugged. "Shoot."

"Not in here…out in the hallway."

He stood up and left the room, with a very curious Vector following him. When he closed the door, he saw him standing over by the Basement entrance. He walked over to him, and then, without warning, the coyote whirled on his heel and gave him a suspicious, no-nonsense look. He spoke in a stern commanding tone.

"Did you sneak into the security room and tamper with the computers?"

Vector took a step back in surprise. "…Come again? What security room?"

Jenkins exhaled and stared at his feet. "I guess you did not."

"…Another case, I guessin'?"

"Sort of. Last night, someone went into the security room and messed with the cameras and computers. I was afraid that one of you was trying to find a weakness in our system and escape."

The reptile took this information in and rubbed his chin in thought. "That's possible…and I think I already have a hunch who might've done it. I hafta ask one thing, though: did it look like a professional's work?"

"Define professional."

"Like a hacker?"

"Not really. Whoever it was knew his way around computers in a mechanical aspect, but not in the way a hacker would. I studied the areas the culprit visited in our computer's mainframe, and I would say that the culprit was examining our devices and trying to find weaknesses that he could exploit." Then he looked at Vector with a small grin. "You were probably thinking the bat girl, Rouge, did this."

Vector smiled back and shrugged. "I've never really liked her, and it sounds like something she'd do. But your last bit of info suggests it wasn't her."

"Then who did do it?"

"…I'd rather not say yet. Let me see if I can draw out a confession first."

"All right then. Do what you must, detective."

The crocodile nodded and turned back to the Billiard Room. It looked like he had gotten a new lead after all, but not in the way he had thought…


	8. The Detective's Apprentice and More

Chapter #8: The Detective's Apprentice and More Weapons

Back inside the Billiard Room, Sonic and Tails' game had reached an intense climax. Both had knocked in all of their balls, leaving the black 8-ball. The fox had failed to knock it into a pocket, and so it was the blue hero's turn. With a cocky grin, he put his billiard stick behind his back and aligned it with the white cue ball. He glanced at the others to see their reactions to his stunt. Tails' eyebrows rose and Amy's eyes widened a little. Knuckles and Rouge, however, weren't very impressed, as evidenced by a rolling of eyes by the former and the folding of arms by the latter. But all fell silent and awaited the shot intensely.

Still smirking, Sonic focused on the end of the stick and the cue ball with one open eye, aimed carefully…and made his shot.

The cue ball struck the 8-ball dead-center, and, after bouncing along the walls of the table, it fell into one of the corner pockets.

"Wow, Sonic!" Amy said. "That was so cool!"

The blue hedgehog simply shrugged as if it was nothing. Behind him, Knuckles snorted, still unimpressed. Rouge leaned against the wall next to the billiard stick rack, particularly interested in the pink one's admiration. With a mischievous smile, she walked over to Tails, took the stick in his hands, and put it into Amy's.

"I'm sure he'd love to teach you how to play, Amy," she said.

In a flash Sonic's smirk vanished, and small drops of sweat appeared on his forehead. "Wh-what?" he stammered. "I, uh…"

Amy jumped up and down while clutching the stick. "Oh, Sonic, would you?! I'd love to learn how!" she pleaded with "puppy dog eyes".

Inwardly the hero groaned; he couldn't turn her down when she made that face. "…All right. Knux, can you set the balls up?"

Grinning, the red echidna did just that, since this left Sonic with the job of showing Amy how to hold and aim the billiard stick. The remaining three watched as he was forced to bend over her from behind and adjust her stance and her grip on the stick, which involved touch. The whole time his cheeks were red, and when Amy wasn't looking, he shot a fierce glare at Rouge, who only smirked back.

Out of the three bystanders, only Tails was not amused; instead, he sympathized for his best friend in his rather uncomfortable predicament. He was ready to step in and relieve him of some of the job, but the sound of the door opening got his attention, and he turned to see who it was.

Vector poked his head into the room and glanced about. When he saw Tails, he locked eyes with him and silently gestured for him to come. Curious, the fox obeyed and followed him out of the Billiard Room, through the spacious foyer, and into the bright, serene Conservatory. For a while neither one spoke, and the crocodile simply paced around the room with a disturbed, thoughtful expression. Then the fox, noticing his face, broke the silence.

"What's up, Vector?"

The said reptile turned around and looked him in the eye again. "Tails, did you tamper with Eggman's security system last night?"

Tails was so caught off guard by the direct question that he didn't speak for several seconds. Then he looked down at his feet and scraped one against the linoleum floor, blushing under his fur. "…How'd you know it was me?"

He sighed and looked out the window at the rose garden outside. "Jenkins told me someone sneaked into the security room, and that it was more of a mechanic's work than a hacker's. I took it from there." Then he turned back. "I've been assuming that you did it to try and find a way outta this joint. Am I right?" Tails nodded. "Now let me ask two more important questions," he continued, "and I want you to be honest. When did you sneak in?"

He replied seriously, "Right after I went to our bedroom at 11:45. I saw the door into the room as I was going to bed, and I went back to it when you guys were asleep. I picked the lock on it."

"How long were you in there?"

The boy glanced up at the ceiling and rubbed his chin, and his tails twitched as he thought. "Hmm…I'm not exactly sure."

He closed his eyes and let his mind bring back images of last night…of him sitting in the dark room in front of brightly lit computer screens, typing away at the keyboard…then looking at his watch to make sure he had enough time to sneak back into his room undetected…

His eyes snapped open. "I stayed in there until 1:00!" he said confidently. "I placed my time of returning to my room with a guard change at 1:00 so I wouldn't be discovered."

Vector nodded his head in approval. "Pretty clever of ya, kid. And do ya realize what that also means?"

Tails cocked an eyebrow. "Uh…what?"

"That means you didn't have the opportunity to knock off Eggman. You were in the security room throughout the time frame we set up for his murder."

He perked up. "Hey, you're right! You really trust my word, Vector?"

For the first time, Vector smiled. "Of course. You've never struck me as a liar, Tails. …But I did notice that you held back your secret in the Dining Room."

His face flushed again. "Yeah, I did. But I didn't want to say it in front of that butler. He's okay, but I think I would have been in big trouble if I had admitted what I did."

"I don't blame ya. But don't worry; I think I can vouch for ya. After all, you didn't hurt anything."

The fox and the crocodile fell silent, and they took a good look around the room, thinking. Finally the former turned and asked, "Hey, Vector, I'm curious: figured out who destroyed that robot last night?"

Vector also looked at him. "Well, I know it wasn't you…right?"

Tails nodded. "Right. Remember what I said about the guard change? The Pawn was attacked before then. I was still in the security room."

"Well, I hate to say it, but I have no clue. That dent is the key to solving it, but I don't know what could have made that—nobody's fists, that's for sure. Any ideas?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm as clueless as you are. I wish I had some ideas…"

The reptilian detective thought some more, and was suddenly struck with an idea. "Maybe you can help anyway!"

The boy also perked up. "Really?"

"Sure! Ya see, I need to focus on the Doc's murder too, and two homicides are a little hard to handle; I'm not used to it, I'll admit. Why don't you try your hand at sleuthing and help me with the Egg Pawn case?"

His blue eyes grew a bit and his ears stood erect. "I could do that!" he replied eagerly. "Where should we start?"

"How's about we go into the Study and take a second look at those weapons? Maybe there are some clues to both cases that we missed."

"Sounds good to me! Let's go!"

Tails raced out of the Conservatory, and Vector walked after him, his teeth flashing in a big grin.

_Things are lookin' up,_ he thought. _And it looks like I've got myself an apprentice…_

* * *

Outside, Tails suddenly collided with Knuckles, who was just coming out of the Billiard Room. 

"Oops, sorry, Knuckles," he said. Then he noticed that the red echidna was not paying attention; he was staring at something else. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Ah, just the usual," he replied. "Amy wants a romantic picnic in the rose garden, and Sonic's run off to hide until she drops the idea."

Both of the blue hedgehog's friends rolled their eyes, and then Vector, who came up behind them, asked, "Where is he?"

"The Basement," Knux replied. "Amy went after him. Rouge is down there too."

Suddenly there was a shriek, and the said bat's voice called up from the Basement, "Knucklehead! Where's Vector?!"

The three looked at each other and raced to the Basement steps. "Coming!" the crocodile yelled. They rushed down the steps as quickly as they could without tripping and breaking their necks. Close to the bottom, Amy and Rouge waited with wide eyes.

"What happened?" panted Tails.

"We found this," Rouge replied, bringing something out from behind her back.

It was a rope that had been tied together to resemble a noose, and there were red stains on the looped end.

Tails gulped. "Another weapon?"

Vector took the Rope. "I guess so. Remember the rope burns I saw on the Doc's neck? I guess this could be what caused them. Where exactly did you find it?"

Amy nervously went over to the wine rack, which had moved back to reveal the secret passage once again. Then she pointed to an empty slot in the rack. "R-right there," she said. "I saw it wrapped in newspaper when Sonic moved the rack to go into the tunnels…" She straightened. "Oh my gosh! Sonic! What happened to him?!"

Tails rushed past her into the dark tunnel, shouting Sonic's name. There was no answer. The others went after him, and Amy and Knuckles followed the fox's example. These same two bumped into him when he halted at the junction, looking at the signs with a confused expression. Then he took a deep breath and shouted louder than before. _"Sonic!"_

There was no answer.

Knuckles added, "Amy's done chasing you, Sonic! Come on out!"

The echoes of their voices faded into dead silence, and there was still no response. Vector quickly took charge. "Guys, let's split up. Knux, take the path to the Lounge; you seem to know it well enough. Rouge, go to the Conservatory. Tails…" He paused, recalling that Tails hadn't come down here before. Then he said, "Take the path to the Study. We were going there anyway." Tails nodded his head several times.

"What about me?!" Amy complained.

Sighing, the detective replied, "You're comin' with me to the Kitchen."

"But I already went there!"

He decided to ignore her and told the rest, "I know it's dark, but I only have one flashlight. So sharpen your night vision and keep your eyes peeled for him and anything suspicious down here. If you get to your Room empty-handed, get to the Basement via the first floor; he might come back that way. Got it?" All nodded. "Good. Now let's go!"

The five guests departed down their separate paths in search of the missing blue hedgehog.

In his tunnel, Tails kept the pace at a jog, for several reasons. He didn't know the tunnels like Vector seemed to, and he didn't want to miss anything, especially not Sonic, if he was hurt. He forced himself to stop his train of thought at that point, and he took a break and panted with his hands on his knees. When he had gotten his second wind, he stood straight and studied the blackness ahead and behind him. So far he had seen or heard nothing in the tunnel, and he was filled with doubt. Perhaps Sonic hadn't gone this way, and he should turn back.

The young fox shook his head. He had to keep searching until he was 100 percent sure his blue friend had not come this way. He resumed running down the tunnel, occasionally calling Sonic for good measure. But he still got no response, and he bit his lip until it bled.

Suddenly he spied a crack of light ahead of him, and he picked up the pace. Under the light there was a small staircase that ended at a wooden panel. Tails walked up them and experimentally pushed up on the panel. It went up slightly, and he pushed harder. The panel hit a wall, and he was able to step off the staircase and into the room: the Study.

The Study was a small room compared to the other Rooms; the only one smaller than it was the Billiard Room. It had little furniture as well. A green couch stood in front of a grand window that faced the front lawn of Tudor Mansion, and a pair of smaller windows was on Tails' left. In front of these windows was a large, walnut desk that, like the table in the Library, had an office lamp and was cluttered with papers and books. Paintings and portraits were on the walls much like other Rooms, but these seemed more vibrant than others. One in particular caught Tails' eye—a painting of six Civil War-time cavalrymen in blue uniforms grimly standing watch on their mounts atop a hill with the sun setting behind them. Under this intriguing picture was a table that had what appeared to be inventor's tools on it; apparently, Eggman had brought some small creations of his into the Study to be examined and tinkered with. But there was one tool that looked out of place.

It was a large wrench. It sat on top of some of the tools, so it must have been put there recently, and probably by someone who cared nothing for Eggman's delicate instruments. At first, Tails shrugged it off, but then he saw something out of the corner of his eye and did a double take.

The Wrench was, like almost all of the Weapons they had found so far, wrapped partly in newspaper, and had red stains on it.

Tails licked his lips nervously and took the paper in his hands, with the Wrench lying in the middle. Then he gripped the paper and new Weapon in one hand and ran for the door out of the Study. The search for Sonic was temporarily forgotten; only one thought ran through his head now.

_I need to show this to Vector, and quick!_

* * *

Elsewhere in the tunnel system, Knuckles was having about the same luck as Tails concerning Sonic. He had walked slowly, feeling the walls for any possible branching passages. Who knew how many secret tunnels there were in this place? Maybe Sonic had accidentally found one. 

Finally the red echidna tired of the slow pace and ran the rest of the way to the Lounge. He thought fondly of the quiet Room and considered sneaking one more nap…and then something happened.

The next thing Knuckles knew, he was falling and getting a mouthful of dirt. Stunned a bit, he spat it out and looked around him. Eventually his gaze rested on his foot, which had tripped over…something. He took it into his hands, but despite his night vision, he couldn't discern what it was. All he knew was its shape, which was unusual; one end was circular with a hole in it, the other a larger circle and flat with no hole, and the middle slim. Deciding to study it in the light of the Lounge, he got up and began to walk toward a bend in the tunnel…and got yet another surprise.

A familiar form was lying upside down against the wall of the tunnel, unconscious.

"Sonic!?!" he exclaimed and rushed to his side. "You okay? Say something!"

The hedgehog groaned and, after rubbing his head, opened his eyes slightly. "Ugh…what happened? One moment I was running, and the next…man, the whole world was spinning…"

Remembering the item in his hand, Knuckles answered, "I think you tripped over something." He held up the object. "Let's go into the Lounge and take a good look."

"Okay. Go on ahead; I'll be up in a sec."

Nodding, Knux got up and walked to the staircase leading into the Lounge. With one hand he moved the panel up and stepped into the Room. The sunlight pouring through the windows glinted off the mysterious object in his hand, and he stared at it, blinking both from the light and his surprise.

It was a Candlestick made most likely of brass, though its golden color was very convincing. It had some dirt smudges on it, but those failed to hide the red stains it had on its tip and its base.

Sonic trudged up the stairs, still rubbing his head. "So, Knux, what did ya find about…" His voice trailed off; he had seen the Candlestick. _"…That's_ what tripped me?"

"I guess so. And with those stains, this thing makes five possible Weapons."

"Five?"

"The girls found a Rope in the Basement. Anyway, we oughtta show this to Vector."

The blue hero nodded, and he began to follow his friend/rival out of the Lounge. Then he remembered the panel leading into the tunnels, and he whirled around to go back and close it…but he didn't need to.

When he looked, the wooden panel was in the process of falling into place. He could have sworn he saw a _gloved hand_ tugging on the rope attached to the panel, and that he heard the sound of footsteps on the staircase, which faded into eerie silence…


	9. Six Weapons, Two Sleuths, and a Study

Chapter #9: Six Weapons, Two Sleuths, and a Study

Out of all the Rooms in Tudor Mansion, the Study was probably the most peaceful. Noises from the rest of the mansion were distant or not heard at all; the only exception was the sound of Jenkins vacuuming in the room above. The Room itself was very still, and the only noise was the ticking of a small clock on a wall.

On the walnut desk, the books and papers had been carefully cleared off, and the six Weapons—the Knife, the Revolver, the Lead Pipe, the Rope, the Wrench, and the Candlestick—had been laid out on the newspapers with which they had been found. Behind the desk sat Vector, who was hunched over the items with his chin resting in one hand. His face was scrunched up in deep thought, and he muttered inaudible words to himself on occasion. Also, he would pick up one Weapon, study it, and then gently set it back down.

The crocodile's every move was watched by Tails, who moved about the small Room very slowly. Often he would look through the windows at the green front lawns of the Boddy estate, sit down on the couch (only to get up again a minute later), and then study the strange horsemen painting. He didn't speak to Vector, not wanting to disturb him, and tried to think of a good way to help or a piece of advice he could give. But when he looked at the Weapons, he couldn't help but shiver and look away; all of them were dangerous. The million-dollar question was this: which one had been used to murder their host?

Suddenly the fox's stomach growled, and Vector looked up at him. Tails blushed and said, "Um…sorry. I guess I'm a little hungry."

"You can get a quick bite, kid; I don't mind," the croc replied.

There was an unexpected knock at the door, and Jenkins came in with a cart loaded with sandwiches. "No need to leave," he told them with the smallest of smiles. "I've brought you your lunch: an assortment of sandwiches. Your friends are eating theirs in the Dining Room."

"Wow, thanks, sir!" exclaimed Tails, and he moved forward and took a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich.

Jenkins nodded and looked at Vector. "So, what progress have you made in the case?"

Vector glanced at Tails, and then answered, "Well, I found out that Tails was the one who tampered with your security system."

Tails froze in the middle of his third bite, and blushed when the butler looked at him.

"He didn't harm anything, though, and he's also innocent of both the Doc's murder and the attack on the Egg Pawn."

"…I see." Jenkins looked back at the boy and said seriously, "I will let you off the hook this time, but I will also warn you. If you are caught doing it again, there will be consequences."

He vigorously nodded his head. "Yes, sir. It won't happen again…uhh, sir."

Wanting to help Tails, Vector added, "He's helping me with both murders and the Weapons."

The coyote raised his eyebrows. "And what have you come up with?"

"Uhh…nuthin' yet. But give us one more hour, and we'll see what we can figure out."

Jenkins gave a small bow and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Tails breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm definitely not going back to that security room."

Vector chuckled and took a ham-and-cheese sandwich from the cart. "Good idea."

The fox finished off his sandwich, reached for another, and then stopped. "So…" he began, his gaze turning to the Weapons on the desk, "any ideas yet?"

After eating his third ham-and-cheese sandwich (it took him only one or two bites to eat one), the detective glanced at the items before him, then at Tails. "Some," he replied after a slight pause. "But I could use a second opinion. Sit over here and tell me what you think."

He stood up out of the desk chair and moved to the couch, which (to his relief) was much more comfortable. Tails was a little hesitant to sit in front of the Weapons, but he did it anyway. After setting his sandwich aside and wiping his hands on a napkin from the cart, he bent over the Weapons. Then, ever so carefully, he picked up the one that had been found first: the Knife.

_A good first pick,_ Vector noted in his mind.

Another reason Tails had chosen the Knife was because he and Amy had been the ones to find it in the Kitchen, so he already knew the details of it. Slowly he took the blade out of its sheath (I think that's what you call it), and shuddered at the sight of the red stain that went about a third down the Knife from the tip. Suddenly he stopped and squinted suspiciously at the stain.

…_Something's not right here…_ he thought.

He looked up and asked, "Hey Vector, the length of the stain doesn't seem right."

The crocodile frowned and stood up. "Let me take a look at it." Inwardly he was grinning; he had spotted that interesting detail before, and he wanted to see what Tails thought of it.

The boy laid the Knife and sheath into Vector's open palms. "When you stab someone, wouldn't the blade go all the way in?" he inquired further.

"Depends on how much force used and the strength of the attacker. But most of the time, yes; it would go in the whole way, or at least further than it is here. Here, lemme try somethin'."

He set the sheath down and held the handle of the Knife in his right hand. Then, as actors would do in a fake fight, he quickly (but carefully) thrust it under his shoulder and held it there. When both of them looked, they saw that the very tip of the blade stuck out on other side.

"Just as we thought," he said, removing the Knife. "Hang on, I wanna test somethin' else." He got up and moved toward the door, and then stopped and handed Tails a second notepad and pen (his own were on the couch). "Why don't you study the others some more? I'll be a few minutes." Then he left the Study.

Tails scratched his head, wondering what Vector was up to. But, knowing it was better to do as he had been asked, he went back to the desk and picked up the other item he had found: the Wrench. Again he studied the prominent stain on the main part of the tool. Being very familiar with such tool is this one, he knew that the "head" of this type of wrench was the heaviest part of it, and thus could deal a pretty harsh blow—even a fatal one—if wielded as a Weapon. But it would have to be a blow that caused external bleeding for the stain to get there.

He set down the Wrench and picked up the Lead Pipe and Candlestick. Like the Wrench, the stains were on the heaviest areas of the two. But there seemed to be something odd about the latter Weapon. Not only was there a stain on the base of it, but there was also a stain around its top (as well as inside the place where one puts the candle). And on top of the stain inside that place were clumps of what Tails believed to be wax. Carefully he broke off a few pieces from the top and set them on a napkin for further study. Upon turning the pieces upside down, he found that the red stain was present on the bottoms.

_The stain was made, and then someone used the Candlestick, _Tails deducted in his head, scratching his chin. _But who? It's kind of hard not to notice the stain. …Maybe…maybe it was the murderer…but why would he want to use the Candlestick?_

As he was pondering this, Vector returned, and Jenkins was with him. The former held the Knife, and the latter brought yet another cart. But this one carried something rather strange: six blocks of Jell-O, each one a different color. Five of them—red, pink, purple, blue, and green—had two deep cuts, one in the middle and one near the top; the orange one did not.

"What's the Jell-O for, Vector?" Tails asked, though he already had a good idea what.

"A test for the Knife, kiddo!" the croc answered with a grin. "Turns out there's a kitchen knife that almost matches our Knife in every way, and we've been using it to see how deep the knife will go if someone uses it as a weapon. We've already tested the other four and myself, so now it's your turn."

As Vector was explaining, Jenkins stacked the blocks up until the orange one was higher than Tails, but just low enough for him to reach it. Then the croc placed the test knife in the boy's hands.

"Reach up and stab the orange block as hard as you can," Vector instructed him.

Tails quickly figured out what the block represented: Eggman's chest, where Vector had seen a deep wound. He nodded and then turned his attention to the block of gelatin. Taking the knife in both hands, he thrust as hard as he could into the block. He looked up and saw that the knife had gone in up to the handle. Then he turned to Vector, who nodded and gestured for him to remove the knife. When he did, Jenkins took the tower of Jell-O blocks apart and laid the orange block in front of Tails.

"The first part was for the case that Eggman was standing when the wound was made," Vector explained. "This is for if he was sitting or lying down."

Tails shuddered; one was virtually defenseless when sitting or lying down, and usually unaware of possible danger. If their victim had indeed been sitting or lying down when he had been attacked, then that made the murder all the more heinous. But he knew that they had to take that detail into consideration, and he had to continue with the test. So, with both hands slightly shaking, he plunged the knife into the block, making sure not to damage the first cut. He and the other two saw that, like the first time, the knife had gone all the way in.

Vector gave a huge grin. "Good job, Tails. Looks like we're finally makin' headway in this case."

"So…what does this all mean, exactly?" Jenkins questioned, a little lost.

"Well, I did this test for two reasons: to see if any of the six Suspects could have stabbed the Doc only a little bit like the stain seems to indicate, and to see if the Knife made just the right cut to match the wound I saw on his chest. Tails, think you can tell him the rest?"

The young fox nodded his head. "I think so." He stepped up to the cart and examined the cuts in the other five blocks of gelatin. "The test shows that, no matter what position the block was in, everyone's stabs with the knife contradicted what the stain could indicate: a shallow stab. None of us could have made that kind of wound." Then he turned to Vector and asked, "Do you still remember what the wound looked like?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," answered the reptilian sleuth with a smile, and he tapped the side of his head with one finger. "I've got a photographic memory. The cuts in these blocks don't match the wound in Eggman's chest. This leads us to the fact that the Knife…"

"…Is _not_ the murder weapon!" Tails finished triumphantly.

"But what of the stain?" asked Jenkins. "How did that get there?"

The crocodile said, "My guess is that blood from the wound transferred to the Knife, whether by accident or intention."

"Intention?"

"Someone could have planted the blood to make the Knife look like the murder weapon," Tails answered. "In fact, all the Weapons but the Revolver have stains somewhere on them."

"Speaking of those other Weapons, Tails," Vector interjected, "did you come up with anything on them?"

He nodded. "A few things. I think the stains on the Wrench and Lead Pipe were also planted. What do you think, Vector? You saw his head, right?"

"Yeah, I did. No big, bloody wounds, just minor bruises. We can cross out those two then. What about the Candlestick?"

"There's something interesting about that one. Take a look at what I found." Tails showed them the napkin with the wax pieces on them. "The top was stained at one time, but then someone used it to hold a candle without cleaning the stains off. I think the killer used the Candlestick after planting the stains. I don't think it's actually the murder weapon, though."

"_Very_ interesting, Tails!" Vector exclaimed; he himself had missed that tiny detail.

The fox blushed a little, and then added, "I didn't go over the Rope or the Revolver, though."

"That's okay. We'll do 'em right now."

The three of them (Jenkins was still with them) moved to the desk, where Tails picked up the Rope. "It has stains on the noose end of it too," he pointed out.  
"Probably planted too," Vector remarked. "I think I did see some of that on the Doc's neck, but it wasn't from a wound in that area. There were rope burns, too."

"So Master Eggman could have been strangled?" Jenkins asked, a tad skeptical of the idea.

"I won't put that idea away. If the killer had the higher ground, it's quite possible."

In their own minds but not out loud, Vector and Tails thought of another possibility, one mentioned before: the killer could have flown above their host's head and strangled him. Naming that option would be flat-out accusing the only possible person who could pull that off: Rouge. Both were inclined to think of her as the prime suspect because of her reputation, but they also knew that so far they had no evidence to prove her guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. If they made that suggestion too soon, they would be shooting themselves in the foot.

The sleuths, master and apprentice, put those thoughts away and turned to the final Weapon: the Revolver. There was hushed silence as Vector picked up the gun and slowly turned it over in his hands. He gently opened up the slot for holding the bullets, squinted one eye, and peered into each hole.

"I don't have the right equipment to tell if this has been fired," he said with a sigh, "but I can tell ya this: Egghead's chest wound looked like a bullet did it."

"But there's a problem with that," Jenkins commented. "A gunshot can easily be heard, and I don't believe there are silencing devices for revolvers."

"You have a point," admitted Vector. "But maybe something else was used to muffle the noise; I've heard of pillows being used as silencers. We can't cross it out yet."

There was a pause, and then Tails said, "So, we've narrowed it down from six Weapons to two?"

The crocodile took the Weapons and his hands and replied, "The Rope and the Revolver."

"Could you possibly narrow it down further?" Jenkins asked.

He shook his head. "Not with the evidence we have right now."

"And what of the Egg Pawn problem?"

His eyes widened, and he slapped his forehead with the hand holding the Rope. "Drat! Forgot about that one!"

Tails had also forgotten about it, and he looked over the six Weapons again. Could one of them have been used to batter the robot? Quickly he crossed out the Knife, Revolver, and Rope, which left the Lead Pipe, Wrench, and Candlestick. But, after some thinking, he realized that the first two didn't match with the massive dent in the Pawn's head. That left the Candlestick, but he doubted even that one; it seemed too small. He couldn't imagine any of the others knocking the daylights out of the robot with such a simple item. He decided to share his thoughts with the other two.

"If any of the Weapons were used in that case, it would be the Candlestick. But I think it was probably some other weapon that we haven't found yet."

"You're probably right, Tails," agreed Vector.

"By the way," Jenkins interjected again, "what is with the newspapers?"

The croc shrugged. "To protect the desk, I guess."

Suddenly Tails started; something had come to him. "Wait a minute, Vector!" he cried, almost shouting. "We found all of the Weapons wrapped in newspaper! That could be a clue!"

"Eh?!?"

"The best way for the murderer to plant the bloodstains on the Weapons is if they were in one place at one time! What if, after planting the stains, he wrapped them in newspaper and hid them all throughout the mansion?! If he did, then there's a chance the rest of the paper is in the place where he killed Eggman!"

"Holy smokes!" Vector exclaimed. "You've got a big clue there, kid! That's somethin' we should look for when we go over the rooms again!"

"Another search?" Jenkins said. "What for, may I ask?"

The crocodile turned back to him. "For evidence of a murder."

"You mean the crime scene!" exclaimed Tails.

He nodded his head with a slight grin. "All this time we've been talkin' about Weapons, and yet we haven't focused on where the murder took place. That could make all the difference, ya know."

"What do you mean?" asked the butler again.

"The crime scene could make or break an accusation against a suspect. Let's say, just for example, that I was actually in the Ballroom around the time the murder occurred. If one of us found evidence that confirmed that the murder happened in the Ballroom, then that makes me the prime suspect.

"And there's another good reason: the Weapons. We've found them all over the mansion, but the Doc was killed in only one Room. If we find evidence of a murder in a Room where we found a Weapon, then that makes it more likely that the same Weapon was what did him in."

Jenkins rubbed his chin in thought. "You make a good point. All right then, you can search again. Do you want me to tell the others so they can assist you?"

Vector paused to consider that offer. He and Tails _could_ use the help of Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge, and he couldn't forget that each of them had done well in the first search of Tudor Mansion. But he also had to consider that one of them was the killer—not a pleasant fact, but a fact nonetheless. The killer, if left alone, could easily hide any evidence of the crime scene.

Tails seemed to read his mind, and he said with optimism, "We can just split into two teams like we did before, Vector. That way it's less likely for anybody to hide anything."

A slow grin cracked the 'dile's face. "…You're right. Do ya think we should change the teams around, though? Knuckles and Rouge really didn't work out."

"And Amy kinda got on my nerves," the boy added.

"All right, then let's try this: you can go with Knux, and I'll stick with Bat-girl."

Judging by the suspicious look on his face at the mention of her, Vector might as well have said he would keep an eye on Rouge and make sure she didn't ruin any evidence; despite his best efforts not to be biased, he wasn't at all fond of her. Tails didn't blame him for it.

But then a little later, as the three of them left the Study, with Vector and Jenkins pushing the two carts and Tails carrying the Weapons (which were wrapped back into their newspaper), the fox realized the impact of his and Vector's team picks.

_Oops…I'm really, really sorry, Sonic…_


	10. Another Search Begins

Chapter #10: Another Search Begins

"Oh Sonic, isn't this wonderful?!" Amy exclaimed, clapping her hands. "We get to explore the mansion together!"

Judging by the way the blue hedgehog was moaning and slamming his head against the wall, he didn't agree that it was "wonderful" that they had been paired up. But his cheerful new partner failed to notice this and continued to chatter on about what they could look at.

"I didn't get to see the Hall much; we could go there! And maybe the Conservatory! And the Study! But I don't want to go to the Kitchen; I've been there twice already. We won't go there, will we, Sonic?"

When he didn't answer, she turned to look at him. He was staring out the windows of the Dining Room at a fountain (smaller and simpler than the one in the rose garden). Whatever he saw in that view had caught his complete interest, and he had not heard her question.

"Sonic!" she said, stamping her foot. He jumped a foot in the air and whirled around. She asked again, "We won't visit the Kitchen, right?"

"Uhh…sure," he replied cautiously.

"Good!" Then she paused for a moment to think. "Didn't Vector say we should look for anything unusual in each room? We're looking for the crime scene now, right?"

A pause, and then, "…Right."

"How about we start here?"

He shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Immediately Amy turned and began to examine the Room. Contrary to what some might believe, she had developed a keen, observant eye when it came to clothes and rooms.

The Dining Room was plain compared to some of the other Rooms in Tudor Mansion. The floor was plain wood with no rugs or carpets, and one wall had a set of three windows, the center one bigger than the other two. The lower half of the walls had wood paneling, and china was set on it for display. There were two large cabinets for the same purpose, a few potted plants and paintings, and a fireplace. The main attraction, the dining table and its eight chairs, was in the very center, and made of a dark-colored, expensive-looking wood. Everything appeared to be in order, and nothing out-of-place.

Sonic also observed the Room more thoroughly than before, and reached a conclusion. "I doubt the murder happened here; it's used way too much. Somebody would've noticed evidence sooner."

Amy nodded. "You're right. Why don't we try the Conservatory? Knuckles and Rouge found that gun there."

Again, she received a shrug for an answer, and the two hedgehogs walked out of the Room. Her mind was on helping Vector and Tails, but _his_ mind was on the strange thing he had seen outside through the window…

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Kitchen, Vector was looking into every cabinet and cupboard, and inspecting the refrigerator and its contents. Rouge, however, was content to sit on the table and watch him. "What do you think you're going to find, detective?" she asked, smirking. "Bloody fingerprints?" 

The skepticism in her voice was impossible to miss, and it made Vector curl his lip. "'Course not," he replied curtly. "Our killer is too smart for that."

"Don't overestimate the echidna, Sherlock; he wouldn't know smarts even if it hit him in the face."

The reptile rolled his eyes. "You've really got your mind set on him, huh? Whatever happened to me bein' a killer?"

"You're too goody-goody to kill the Doctor; so is the rest of the bunch. Knucklehead, however…" she chuckled, "he'd do anything for his Master Emerald. He can't stand being away from it too long, you know. Thinks somebody will steal it while he's trapped here. I can read his mind like a book."

Vector wouldn't admit it to her out loud, but Rouge had a very good point. Knuckles' duty to the Master Emerald and Angel Island was his motive for murder; even the scarlet echidna himself couldn't deny it. But Knuckles had a backup: his echidna honor. A wise Guardian would only resort to measures such as the taking of a life if absolutely necessary to protect the Master, and if no less drastic course of action remained. In the case of the murder, escape was an alternative to violence. But the crocodile knew better than to assume too much; he had to collect more evidence and information before writing off anyone or accusing them.

His in-depth search of the Kitchen done, he turned his attention to the secret passage he had found with Amy in their search for Sonic. Like all of the others, it was a wooden panel with something put on top of it to hide it; in the case of the Kitchen, it was a sack of flour. Vector removed it and lifted up the panel. His gaze stopped at the stairs themselves, and the dust that had collected on them from little use. He saw several footprints in it: his own large ones, Amy's high heels…and three others. His eyes widened a fraction.

The tunnels had been used recently, but it was before their discovery by the gang that day.

_Tails might be right,_ he thought. _The killer might have used these tunnels last night…problem is, whose shoeprints are these? And which one is the killer's?_

He studied the prints intensely, imprinting them in his photographic memory for later comparison with everyone's shoes. When finished, he stood up, ticking off a list of things to do on his fingers.

First, check all the other secret passage rooms. Second, do a thorough sweep of the whole tunnel system. Last, check everyone's shoes.

It was a tall order, but he set his jaw determinedly and marched out of the Kitchen, with a very curious Rouge the Bat tailing him.

* * *

In the Hall, Tails was doing a similar search, but unlike the white bat, Knuckles was offering his help, though he grumbled about their situation while doing so. 

"I really don't see why we're doing this," he said as he was looking into a potted plant; he had learned from the Conservatory search that such plants made good hiding places for evidence. "Why can't we just fight our way out of this place? We don't need to stay here and play detective."

The young fox sighed; their teaming up wasn't meeting his expectations. He stopped fiddling with the doors of the Room to look at the echidna and explain. "If we try and fail, we'd only lose our freedom in this place, Knuckles. We don't know what kind of security Eggman put in this place."

He wasn't really lying when he said this; his intrusion into the security room had not given him a complete tour of the estate's security measures. Eggman could have hidden all sorts of cameras and traps indoors and out, and he wouldn't have seen them.

He bent down and began looking through the ashes of the Hall's fireplace. "And Jenkins did say that he would let us go once we find out who killed Eggman. Besides, don't you want to find out?"

Knuckles snorted. "I already know; the bat-girl did it."

Another, heavier sigh escaped from Tails' lips. He had expected that answer…and that was a suspicion of his own. But then something hit him.

What if Knuckles was accusing a very popular prime suspect to throw suspicion off of himself?

That thought caused the boy to look at his friend in a whole new, disturbing light. Knux was no longer trustworthy; he was just as much a suspect as Rouge.

With a shudder, he stood up and tried brushing the soot off his gloves, but he only succeeded in dirtying his legs. "Uhh…I think I need to wash this stuff off," he said, sweating a little. "These are my only gloves."

Knuckles stood up. "There's a sink in the Kitchen. We're done here anyway, right?"

"Yeah, there's nothing here."

With that, the fox and echidna left the Hall.

* * *

Outside in the lush, green front lawns of the Boddy estate, Jenkins was finishing up a stroll through the distant hollow about a hundred yards behind the mansion. His mind was mainly on the murder case and the six suspects. The walk had been meant to calm him, but it had failed. So all he could do was think harder. 

He could cross out Vector from his list, since he himself was an eyewitness for his alibi. As a result, he trusted the reptilian detective's judgment of the fox lad Tails. The Robian coyote had never suspected him of murder from the beginning, though the whole security room incident had sparked some suspicion for a moment. The others he did not trust yet. The bat and echidna, who constantly accused each other, were at the top of his list, while the two hedgehogs, Sonic and Amy, were at the bottom. Speaking of the former…

Jenkins was startled when the front doors burst open, and a blue blur streaked out of the mansion towards him. But instead of taking the path, the hedgehog simply hid behind one of the nearby oak trees.

The coyote wasn't sure what to think of this. Though he and his Master had agreed to let the guests roam the estate grounds, it made him a little uneasy. With such speed, Sonic could easily leave, and of all the Mobians, he was the one Master Eggman would want to escape least of all. With determined strides he came closer to the hero, who saw him and was also making his way towards him.

"Going somewhere?" Jenkins inquired a little suspiciously.

Sonic caught on quickly and held up his hands. "I'm not gonna leave," he said, "not without my friends. If they're staying, I'm staying."

The butler allowed himself a smile. "Such loyalty is admirable; I commend you for that. …Don't tell any of the robots I said that."

He also grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. "Mum's the word."

A part of Jenkins warned him not to warm up to the hedgehog; after all, he was…or had been…his Master's archenemy, and was a suspect in his murder. On the other hand, Jenkins wasn't Master Eggman. So, despite himself, he began to start a friendly conversation.

"Why are you out here, might I ask?" The smile faded, and Sonic nervously glanced toward the mansion. The butler guessed, "The female hedgehog?"

"Yeah. She kept talking about how this mansion is like the places in her romance novels." He made a face. "Blech."

"She has a romantic interest in you, I take it."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his quills. "You have no idea," he replied. Then, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Where's the greenhouse? I saw it through the Dining Room window."

Jenkins was a little puzzled by the strange request, but didn't ask questions; most likely he would soon get his answers. "Right this way," he said, gesturing to a cobblestone path leading to the mansion's west side. He was a little surprised to see that Sonic did not go rushing off down the path, and instead stayed beside him; he accredited it to the presence of Egg Pawn patrols. Following the path, they came to the glass greenhouse, and he immediately sensed that something was not right.

The door was open…

Frowning, Sonic trotted over to the opening and peered inside. He was disturbed to see muddy footprints going inside and weaving in and out of the aisles of plants and flowers. He looked at Jenkins, whose face showed deep concern, and said, "I'd better get Vector; this is big." He raced off, leaving the butler to puzzle over this strange new clue…

* * *

A few minutes later, all six guests were at the scene, and Vector, Tails, and Jenkins were inside the greenhouse, taking a closer look. Once again, the crocodile stored mental images of the prints, and compared them to everyone's shoes: no match. 

"Then where did they come from?" Tails asked no one in particular, scratching his head.

Vector rubbed his chin in thought, a deep, worried frown on his face. Ever since he had laid eyes on the greenhouse and the shoeprints, he had fallen silent. It was a silence no one liked. Finally he asked Jenkins a strange question.

"What are the roads nearest the whole estate?"

Blinking in confusion, the coyote replied, "There is just Madison Court to the north of here, which you used to come here. There are no other roads for miles; it's all forest and countryside."

Without another word, the croc left. The others followed him silently as he walked down the cobblestone path back to Tudor Mansion. But he didn't stop; he walked down the driveway all the way to the gate, where a dozen Egg Pawns stood on watch. Ignoring them, he began to follow the tall, brick wall that made up the northern border of the estate, first to the left until it came to a corner, then to the right. Close by the corner he found something interesting.

There was a crooked line of bricks pressed deeper in than the rest, and it continued straight up and stopped about a foot and a half from the top.

"Strange…I never noticed that before," Jenkins remarked.

Vector came closer to the strange line, and found that the grass had failed to grow in that area, leaving only dirt, which was still slightly wet from the storm.

Imprinted in it was the same pair of footprints.

"They're pretty deep," he mumbled. Then he turned to Jenkins and said, "I want you to go around to the other side and tell me what you see."

The butler nodded and trotted off, leaving the other five guests to press the sleuth for answers. He gave them nothing, content to wait and see if his suspicions were true. After three minutes of no word from Jenkins, he heard him shout from the other side.

"I found something! Some bushes hide it, but the bricks jut out far on this side!"

"Good enough for footholds?" Vector called back.

There was silence, and then some scuffling on the other side. A minute later, the coyote appeared at the top of the wall, and, at a gesture from the reptile, moved a few feet to his right and then carefully leaped off. He landed on his feet but fell to his knees with a grunt, and then stood up and brushed any grass and dirt off his clothes. He met Vector's gaze and said, "Does that prove your theory, detective?"

"Yes, it does, Jenkins. Thanks."

"All right, enough secrecy!" exclaimed Knuckles. "What was that all about?!"

"To put it bluntly, Knux," Vector answered grimly, _"We have an uninvited guest wandering around the Boddy estate."_


	11. An Uninvited Guest

Chapter #11: An Uninvited Guest

"'Uninvited guest'?" Amy repeated, her face scrunching up in confusion. But, after a few seconds of thought, she realized what Vector might have meant. Her eyes widened. "You mean…a burglar?"

The crocodile cocked an eyebrow and scratched his chin. Then he shrugged and answered, "Trespasser? Yes. Burglar? I'm not so sure."

Jenkins frowned with worry and folded his arms. "Vector," he said firmly, "this is a very serious matter, more serious than what happened in the security room. You must tell me everything you know so far, right now."

Vector nodded. "I'll do my best, Jenkins." He gestured to the footprints in the mud. "This is probably the best clue we've got right here. The mud preserved the prints perfectly, and it helps me estimate when the perp climbed over the wall."

"When?" Knuckles cut in.

"The mud had to have still been wet when these prints were made, so I'd say he came either during or a little after the storm last night." Then he turned to the other five guests. "Did any of you see anything or anyone suspicious while you were walking here and when you came through the gate?"

They all thought for a moment, and then gave simultaneous shakes of their heads, and a few shrugged.

"Same thing with myself. Heck, I never even saw a stray cat on that street."

Jenkins frowned again. "So what does that mean exactly?"

The reptilian detective replied, "That means that your new guest probably came after all of us were inside the mansion. What about your patrols? Where were they last night?"

The butler's face turned a bit red. "Erm…well…actually, I called them in after bringing in Miss Rose; I was worried that the rain would leak into their internal machinery and damage them. There were no guards out during the storm. I suppose the intruder took advantage of that."

Vector's facial expression didn't change. "What time was that?"

"A quarter to 9:00."

"Do you know when it stopped raining?"

"Early in the morning, around 2:00 or 3:00."

He rubbed his chin again, and paced a little. Then he turned back and asked, "Have your robots spotted anything suspicious or out of the ordinary?"

"I will have to ask, but they would have told me immediately if they had."

"You do that. I'm gonna take a look at the outside of the mansion."

The croc walked back towards Tudor Mansion, and Jenkins walked towards the squad at the gate. Moments later, the other five chased after Vector. Not surprisingly, Sonic reached him first.

"Hey, Vec," he said, "why check the mansion and not the greenhouse? We found those footprints."

"True," said the sleuth, "but that clue only tells us that he was there at one time. He isn't now. This guy's here for a reason. Most likely, whatever he's here for is in the Boddy mansion, and he'll try to break in, if he hasn't already. That's what I'm lookin' for: signs of a break-in."

They came to a stop at the front doors. Vector examined them and found no signs of forced entry. Satisfied, he decided to check around the sides of the gigantic house. He suddenly cried out, "Aha!" His companions came running over, and found him standing next to the flowerbed that bordered the mansion. Lots of flowers had been trampled, and occasionally there was the familiar footprint of the trespasser. Vector stepped carefully into the bed and pointed out a pair of prints in front of the window into the Lounge.

"Notice how the toes and ball of the foot are imprinted really deep in the mud," he commented while bringing out his notepad and pencil.

"He was standing on the tips of his toes," said Tails.

The crocodile smiled at his "apprentice". "That's right, kiddo. He was trying to see through the window. That also means that he's probably short. Let's keep lookin' for more."

In the next fifteen minutes of searching, Vector and Tails followed the footprints with plenty of enthusiasm, and guessed how each print was made, like "he slipped right here" or "he stayed by the Conservatory for a while". The prints told them the whole story, and it fascinated both of them. The other four lagged behind a little in silence, only partially interested in the prints. When they returned to the front porch, they found Jenkins waiting for them.

"The Pawn patrols detected nothing for the whole night and throughout today," he told them with a sigh of defeat. "Whoever this trespasser is, he knows how to stay out of sight." Then he noticed the crocodile and fox's excited expressions. "I take it you've had more luck than I."

"Ya got that right," said Vector. "Our guy walked all the way around the mansion and peeked through all the windows. But I don't think he found a way inside; no windows were broken, and those front doors haven't been tampered with, far as I can see."

The butler added, "Those doors have an alarm set to them at night. If he had opened them at all, the alarms would have gone off and awakened everyone."

"So this guy hasn't gotten in yet?" asked Knuckles. Vector gave a shake of the head in reply.

"But he might, if I don't set up a patrol," Jenkins said, his worried frown returning. "I'll post a squad here at the door, and a few around Tudor Mansion. …And I'm afraid you'll all have to stay inside now; I can't risk giving the intruder an opening."

Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy groaned. The latter whined, "But today's the perfect day for a picnic!" She cast a hopeful glance toward her blue colleague, but he didn't notice; he was too busy glaring at the mansion, which was becoming more like a prison.

Tails saw his mentor's anger and bit his lip. He knew from experience that Sonic absolutely hated being cooped up indoors for long periods, and had a nasty tendency to go stir-crazy and wreck things if it went on for too long. He hoped it wouldn't come to that in Tudor Mansion.

Without another word, the six Mobians trudged into the mansion, all feeling some hostility towards the mysterious intruder that had limited their freedom to roam.

* * *

Half an hour later, Tails was reading in the Lounge when the door opened, and Sonic and Knuckles stepped in. The fox got up to greet them, but the words died on his lips when he saw the simmering expressions on their faces. 

"I'm gettin' sick of this place and this stupid mystery," the echidna growled as he walked over to the window to look outside. "I need to get back to Angel Island and the Master Emerald."

But then something very strange occurred. Sonic, as he was also staring out the window, happened to glance at one particular corner of the Room. He returned his gaze to the outdoors, and suddenly did a doubletake. He slowly moved towards the wooden panel in the corner, and lifted it up to reveal the secret passage into the tunnels. His face turned several shades lighter, and he gulped.

"Tails, Knuckles," he whispered, "come here a minute."

His sidekick's ears pricked up in curiosity, and he came over to him. "What's up, Sonic?" he asked. Knuckles also walked to him.

Sonic suddenly looked around the Room, and then lowered his voice some more. "Knux, remember when we came here after you found me and that candle thing?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"We left this open, and I remembered it when we were leaving, so I went back to close it, and…"

"…And?"

"…I saw someone else closing it."

The echidna's violet eyes and the fox's blue ones popped wide open. They exclaimed in unison, "You _what?!"_

"I know it sounds crazy, but I saw it! I saw this hand pulling the panel down, and I think I heard footsteps!"

"You didn't see the person?" asked Tails.

"No. But…do you think…do you think it might've been the guy that snuck into this place?"

Knuckles frowned. "I don't think so, Sonic. He didn't break in yet; I'll take Vector's word for it."

"Maybe he didn't get in through a window or a door. Maybe…"

The blue hedgehog looked down into the shadowy passage, and then at his best friends. In his emerald eyes there was deep worry and…dare it be said…_fear_.

"_Maybe he got in through the __**tunnels."**_

Waves of shock and fear went down their spines, and the fur on the back of Tails' neck stood straight up.

"…That…that might be possible…" Knuckles stammered. "I mean…he would need a tunnel that leads out of the mansion and opens into the outside."

"We haven't found one yet, as far as I know," Tails said. "But that doesn't mean there isn't one." Then he stood up. "We should try and find it!"

The Guardian also got to his feet. "I know my way around any tunnels; I'm going for sure."

Sonic leaped up and went for the door. "I'll tell Vector!" He was out of the Lounge in a flash.

Knuckles looked at his partner with a grim, determined face. "You ready, Tails?" The boy nodded, and, with the echidna in the lead, they stepped down the small staircase into the dark tunnel system once again…

* * *

Ten minutes later, both of them were beginning to wonder if a search was a bright idea or a stupid one. The tunnels had been mysterious before, and were downright creepy now that there might be an intruder hiding in them. They stood in the junction for the passages, trying to decide which one to take first. 

"M-maybe we sh-should have waited f-for the others to help," the fox stammered as he glanced every which way.

"Don't be such a chicken," Knuckles snapped. "If we run into this guy, it'll be two-to-one. We can do this without help."

Tails cringed at his harsh tone. "…Okay. …Which way should we go first?"

The reply came swiftly. "The tunnel to the Kitchen." The echidna trotted down the passage, and his partner reluctantly followed behind him.

They had been walking for another minute when Tails suddenly stopped. "Uh, Knuckles…"

"What?"

"Shouldn't we leave a clue for the others so they know which tunnel we took?"

"…Fine. Go back and scribble on the wall or something."

"I'll only take a minute," he vowed, and then turned and ran back to the junction. He scratched his head, thinking hard.

_Vector has a flashlight, so…I guess I could just scrape an arrow in the dirt._ He proceeded to do so with his shoes, and made sure it was a big arrow. _There, that should do it. Now I need to find Knuckles again._

Tails ran as fast as he could down the passage, and when he reached the spot where he thought Knuckles was, he called, "I did it, Knuckles! I'm back now!"

But there was no answer.

"…Knuckles? You there?"

His words only echoed through the tunnel, and he shivered at the sound. He thought of when Sonic had vanished into the tunnels, and bit his lip. What if something bad had happened to Knuckles? He quickly began walking down the tunnel towards the Kitchen, feeling the walls to his left and right to feel secure. …But, only moments later…

…His right hand encountered air.

Tails gasped and faced the smaller, darker tunnel; the opening only looked like a large crack in the wall, but he sensed that there was more to it than what met the eye. He entered it sideways and squeezed through to find that it became much wider after only three feet of tight space. But the whole place sent more shivers down his spine and caused most of his fur to rise. The air was thicker in there, and smelled of something he couldn't quite identify. The wooden braces for the walls and ceiling looked old and rotten, and cobwebs were everywhere. Most of all, the tunnel had an atmosphere he didn't like…he felt unwelcome, like he didn't belong there and was violating some sort of law by being there. He put one foot behind him to leave…but then his gaze fell on the floor.

Footprints…and several different types at that.

The young fox stood frozen in place, terrified and unsure what to do. Knuckles might have made some of those footprints, and if he was, he had to find him. But it was apparent that someone else had been in the hidden tunnel…and might still be in there, waiting…

He opened his mouth to speak several times, but only a croak came out. He swallowed and cleared his throat several times to help, and then managed to squeak out clearly, "…Knuckles?"

There was only silence.

_M-m-maybe he's hurt and can't answer me,_ he thought. _I…I need to go in deeper and see if he's here…and maybe I'll find out where this leads…_

He gulped, and slowly put his right foot forward, then the left, then the right…

Soon he was walking deeper into the hidden tunnel, fully alert and jumpy. Often he had to step over fallen wood supports or brush away cobwebs; however, many of the latter, he noted with a shudder, were already disturbed, and the damage they sustained appeared to be recent. He desperately hoped he would find Knuckles somewhere in the tunnel, safe and sound. He was not enjoying exploring alone one bit.

Suddenly one low cobweb got into his face, and he yelped, closed his eyes, and tried to wipe it off. While doing this, he failed to see a wooden beam on the ground, and he tripped over it and fell to the floor. He froze when he heard something brittle break under his weight, and turned around…

…And found himself staring into the empty sockets of a human skull.

His fur stood straight up, and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. With a very loud shout of fright, Tails leaped up from the spot and backed away several steps. He saw the crushed remains of the rest of the skeleton, and immediately began to brush his twin tails to get rid of the dust that had once been bone. Once he had calmed down somewhat, he got up the courage to stare at the skeleton and wonder…

How in the world had it gotten there? Was the skeleton another Tudor Mansion mystery just begging to be investigated?

As he was thinking on these things, Tails stepped carefully toward the bones to examine them more closely…

A rotten plank cracked.

The fox froze in place, and for the first time got the horrible sinking feeling that he was being watched.

Suddenly he was pulled backward, and felt a hand cover his mouth. Even worse, he felt something cold and sharp against his throat.

Then…a voice.

"So, foxboy, you found my secret tunnel. You can be just as annoying as that blasted hedgehog."

Tails' fur stood up straighter, if possible, and his blue eyes widened as large as they could get.

"I ought to get rid of you right now, but I have a better idea. You go tell your friends that these tunnels are dangerous, and the next time I catch someone in them, they won't be so fortunate as you. Understand?"

He nodded his head vigorously, and winced as the sharp object pricked him because of his movement. His captor turned him around to face the direction he had come from.

"Good. Now go, and don't ever come back!"

The hands released him, and Tails ran like a thing possessed.

* * *

"Knuckles! _Tails!_ Guys, where are you?!" Sonic shouted at the top of his lungs. When there was no answer, he bit his lip. 

First him, and now his two best friends. Could it get any worse?

Behind him, Vector and Rouge shifted nervously in the junction. (Amy had staunchly refused to venture into the tunnels, and was waiting for them in the Ballroom.) They had found an arrow pointing toward the Kitchen passage, and were trying to decide what to make of it. Had Knuckles or Tails made it? Or had someone else made it to trick them?

Suddenly they heard loud footsteps coming towards them…very quickly. The trio stopped what they were doing and gathered together, ready to fight. The crocodile pointed his flashlight at the tunnel, and they waited for the person to come into the junction…

A familiar figure ran into the light and shielded his eyes.

"Agh! Hey, watch where you point that thing!"

"Knux!" Sonic exclaimed, running over and slamming him in the back. "Man, am I glad to see you! You had us freaked out for a moment there! Where were you? And have you been digging again?"

The red echidna looked down at himself, and realized that he was covered in dirt. He became stiff for a second, and then glared at the blue hedgehog. "You kiddin'? Dig down here? These support beams might be unstable! I just tripped again, is all! And I don't need any help!"

Suddenly Sonic's facial expression changed; his smile vanished, and the worried look returned to his face. Knuckles stopped his yelling to notice.

"…Sonic?"

"…Knux, where's Tails?"

His purple eyes grew a few sizes, and he slapped his forehead. "Oh crud, Tails! He left to mark an arrow for you guys, but I haven't seen him since!"

Vector looked down at the arrow. "I guess he did it. He was supposed to come back to you, right?"

"Yeah, that's what he said."

"Then let's check the passage to the Kitchen first."

The four Mobians darted down the passage, calling the missing fox's name. Vector, who was in the lead because of his light, suddenly came to a stop, causing the others to slam into him.

"Ugh! Don't put your brakes on like that without telling us, Sherlock!" Rouge complained, rubbing her nose.

But Vector didn't make a comeback. Instead he shined his flashlight on what had made him stop and also pointed with his free hand. "Look! A big crack in the wall!"

Knuckles became rigid, and then suddenly rushed for the crack and began attempting to widen it. But then his rival pulled him back; he opened his mouth to object, but she slapped his cheek.

"Shut up! I hear something!"

All four of them became silent and waited. Then they heard it.

Whimpering…of the canine kind.

Sonic's emerald eyes widened, and he scrambled for the crack, shouting, _"Tails!_ Can you hear me, Tails?! Hold on, we're coming!" He stepped back and began spindashing the wall rapidly. Knuckles got in his way the fifth time.

"Stop that right now! You might bring it down!" he warned frantically, just as worried about their friend. Sonic stopped immediately and let him resume his more precise method of reaching Tails. He widened the crack enough that he could step through it normally instead of sideways, and ventured to the other side. Seconds later, he came out with a very shaken fox in front of him.

The moment Tails saw Sonic, he ran to him and latched onto him. The blue hedgehog gasped and wobbled, greatly surprised by the amount of force his sidekick was using; he was clinging to him much tighter than Amy ever had. He tried prying him off, but he stuck like glue. In fact, it only caused Tails to tighten his grip and bury his face in his best friend's chest.

"Tails!? Tails, what's wrong? What happened?"

The fox looked up, and everyone around him was shocked to see the terror in his big blue eyes. Something had scared him out of his wits.

"We have to leave the tunnels," he whimpered, "right now."

No one dared to object; he probably had a good reason for saying it. Vector took the lead again, and led the group away from the hidden tunnel. Knuckles, who was last, shot a worried glance at the black, gaping entrance.

What had Tails found inside there that had terrified him?

For now, only Tails knew the answer. The voice—the one thing that scared him most of all—echoed in his head, and he shivered violently and sought the comfort of his best friend.

He hadn't seen his attacker, but…he didn't really need to.

That voice…he _knew_ it. He knew it very well…

But how was it possible?! Had Vector been wrong? Or worse…

Had he really encountered a ghost?

* * *

Heh, heh...another cliffhanger. (cringes) Please don't hurt me! (dodges flying hammers) 

As always, I'm asking for guesses. Lately, I've only gotten guesses for the Suspect, so I'd like to hear more for the Weapon and the Room. Also, we have the other mysteries, and three people to guess: the Egg Pawn's attacker, the uninvited guest, and now Tails' assailant. Yeah, I kinda made the last one pretty obvious, but...(evil grin)...things might not be what they seem...(evil laugh)

Anyways, I'm looking forward to your reviews! (puppy eyes)


	12. Tunnel Troubles

I'm working on AMOM again! Yay! (does happy dance) I'm sorry it took so long; I blame writer's block and my laptop crashing. Anyway, a quick note before I start this one up: this chapter might seem a little repetitive because Tails explains what happened in the last chapter. But enjoy it anyway!

* * *

Chapter #12: Tunnel Troubles

"_Eggman's_ voice?!" Vector exclaimed in shock. "…Are ya sure, Tails?!"

The eight-year-old fox squirmed nervously in his seat, looked down at his feet, and bit his lip. He knew how hard to believe his story was for the others.

When he didn't answer, Rouge rolled her eyes and stood up. "Oh please, crocodile, is it so hard to figure out? The kid made up the whole thing in his head."

Sonic, who had been silent during the interview, suddenly leaped up from the Lounge's couch and faced her, glaring fiercely. "Leave him alone, Rouge," he snapped. "Tails isn't a liar, and he didn't imagine it."

The white bat backed away and sat back down in her chair. "Hmph…fine."

The blue hedgehog calmed down and went over to his sidekick. Gently he laid a hand on his shoulder and said softly, "…Tails?" The boy's ears pricked up in his direction, and he continued, "Tell us what happened again. We're all ears, little bro."

Tails looked up at Sonic, who offered a small grin and a wink. Soon he was also smiling; Sonic—his mentor, his virtual big brother—believed him. It gave him confidence to try again. He took a deep breath and recounted the event in the hidden tunnel, this time in more detail.

"I went inside the tunnel, and I saw several footprints; they looked pretty new. So I knew someone might have been in there."

"So why did you go in, Tails?" Amy interrupted.

He shrugged. "I thought Knuckles might have been in there."

Vector glanced at said echidna, who was leaning against the wall in one corner of the Lounge. The moment their eyes met, Knuckles frowned and looked down at his feet; he also avoided looking at Tails, who also watched him. The crocodile's eyes narrowed, but he didn't comment, and the fox resumed his account.

"I went on for a while, and the tunnel looked like someone had gone through it recently. I, uh, tripped on accident and found this human skeleton."

Amy's eyes widened, and she put a hand over her mouth. The others simply raised their eyebrows.

"What's somethin' like that doing there?" Sonic mumbled.

"I dunno. I can only tell you that it looked very old." Tails paused to bite his lip again and then said, "I was going to study it some more when…when I got attacked."

"Describe everything that happened," Vector told him.

"…Well, I heard a plank creak behind me, and that's the first time I realized someone was with me. He grabbed me from behind and held something against my throat. I think it was some kind of knife."

Vector rubbed his chin in thought, thinking hard. His apprentice gave him an expectant look, wondering if he was going to say something. But he only gestured for him to continue.

"Then I heard a voice. He told me that the tunnel was dangerous, and that no one should come back, or else. He let me go, and I ran back to the entrance. That's where you guys found me."

"And the voice, Tails?" Vector asked.

Tails hung his head. "…I already told you. It was Eggman's voice; I'm sure of it. I just…" he sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I just don't know how it's possible." He looked at the sleuth and asked, "You're 100 percent sure he was…dead?"

A fierce glimmer came into Vector's eyes, and he vigorously nodded his head. "I am."

"Maybe he turned into a zombie."

All turned and gave a "deadpan" look to Amy, who had spoken.

"I dunno, girlie," Rouge said rudely. "Foxboy didn't say that Eggman ever said, 'brains'."

For the second time, Sonic got up and confronted her. "You don't have to be sarcastic about it!" Amy watched him defend her with starry eyes.

Knuckles shrugged. "Still, the whole idea's impossible."

During that small bit of conversation, Vector had resumed his deep thinking. But then he grinned and said, "And speakin' of ideas, I have one. Tails, I wanna try an experiment. Close your eyes, and if any of us grab ya, don't panic."

The young fox was confused, but he obeyed and closed his eyes tight. There was silence for several seconds, then he suddenly felt someone grab his hands and put them behind his back, along with something being put across his throat. He also felt his back being pressed against something. He whimpered slightly, but didn't struggle. Then he heard Vector's voice.

"Did your attacker do it like that?"

"…Something like it. He did it the same way, but something feels off…it's the pressure. I never felt anything on my back."

"One more question: I know you didn't look behind you, but when he had you, did you see any sign of him?"

"…No. I kept my eyes open the whole time, and I didn't see anything in front of me."

"What about above you?"

"I did look up one time, and I didn't see anything."

"Okay then. Open your eyes now."

He did, and turned around to see that it was Vector who had grabbed him. The crocodile smiled at him and let go. "So," Tails asked, rubbing his neck, "what was that for?"

"It was a simple test, kiddo. If ya study people's attacks long enough, ya learn that several physical characteristics make their attacks unique, like height. The Doc is taller than me, so if he had attacked you, he would've bent over a little so he could grab you and hold a knife to your throat. You probably would've seen 'im."

"So it wasn't Eggman?" Knuckles said, cocking an eyebrow. "Then how do you explain the voice?"

Vector shrugged. "For now the only explanation I've got for that is that whoever it was could do the Doc's voice good enough to convince Tails. But right now I wanna stick with the whole height and pressure angle. Tails, close your eyes again."

The fox did so, and waited for another mock attack. He heard whispers and shuffling, and then someone grabbed him again.

"How's that?" Vector asked.

"A little better. The pressure's still not right."

"Okay, I want ya to keep your eyes shut and look up."

He did it. "All right. Now what?"

"How'd that feel?"

"Not much better. There's something behind me." He heard a sneeze right behind him, and cocked an eyebrow, still with his eyes closed. "What's going on?"

"I think we're done for a moment. Amy, you can move now."

Tails opened his eyes and was surprised to see Amy moving away from him, blushing and rubbing her nose; when he had moved his head, some of his fur had brushed against her nose. He then stared at Vector. "Why did she do it?"

"I asked her to," he replied. "My height wasn't right, so I needed someone short. And even then you said it wasn't the same. I wanna try it again, if that's okay."

"Sure."

Tails closed his eyes again, and heard more shuffling and whispers. Then he felt someone "attacking" again, but he yelped in pain; whoever it was, he was using too much force.

"Too strong, Tails?"

"Yeah."

"What about your head?"

He tested for that, and answered, "It's better; I don't feel anything."

"Good. Knux, we're finished."

Tails wasn't surprised to see that his attacker had been Knuckles. The echidna held his hands up and said, "Sorry."

"It's okay. I think that helped Vector." He looked at the reptile detective. "Did it?"

"Yep. Now we know our guy wasn't as strong as Knux, and he stood differently. He wasn't directly behind you; he was either a little to your left or a little to your right. That way ya didn't feel anybody right behind ya. Let's try it again."

He returned to his stance once more, and waited for the attack. When it came, he felt a small shiver run down his spine. The person's hand on his wrists and the pressure on his throat were lighter than what Vector, Amy, or Knuckles had done, but that made it all the more similar to the real attack.

"Tails?" came Vector's voice.

"It's closer. The touch feels similar. Maybe a bit too light."

"Okay. You can open your eyes now."

The fox did, and whirled around. He found himself staring into Sonic's green eyes. The hedgehog gave an apologetic smile and said, "I scared you a bit, didn't I? Sorry."

"It's okay, Sonic." Then he looked at Vector again. "One more time?" He nodded, and the boy took his position again.

He knew the next mock assailant would be Rouge, but he wasn't expecting how she would go through with it. She grabbed his hands, brought him back a step, and put the fake knife against his throat in only a few seconds. He became very stiff; her method was the closest one to the real thing.

"How was that, foxboy?" she asked smugly from behind him.

He shivered; her voice came from the same spot where he had heard Eggman's voice.

Vector interrupted, "I think ya did really good, batgirl. Let 'im go now."

The white bat released Tails, and he shakily returned to the Lounge couch.

"Well, Tails," the croc said, folding his arms, "I think it's safe to say that whoever attacked ya knew what he was doin' and wanted to convince ya he was the Doc."

Tails nodded his head. "Do you think it was the trespasser?"

He shrugged. "It's very likely, but I'm not ready to assume that just yet. After all, we still haven't found the tunnel that opens into the outside."

"I suppose we should just go back in there and keep looking," Rouge said with a sigh. She was already getting to her feet, anticipating Vector's next move. Sonic also got up from his seat, but for a very different reason.

"Vec, you can't seriously be thinking about going back in there after what happened to Tails!"

"What's the matter, hero? Scared?" Rouge asked. In reply, he glared at her.

Tails watched him and knew his best friend wasn't scared…just worried. It seemed that bad things happened whenever they went into the tunnels, and Sonic didn't want any more incidents that could mean harm to his friends. The fox himself didn't feel ready to reenter the tunnel system.

"Vector, maybe we shouldn't," he said. "I mean, that guy is armed and might be dangerous."

The crocodile frowned and nodded. "You're very right. We might hafta go down there with escorts."

Knuckles was up in an instant. "You don't mean robots, do you?!" he exclaimed. "You're gonna tell that butler about this, aren't you?! You can't do that, Vec! These tunnels could mean a way out of here!"

"But an escape route ain't worth our skins," he retorted calmly. "Besides, we have an easier way out of this."

"Finding the one who bumped off Eggman? You realize what you mean when you say that, don't you? It means handing one of us over to them!"

There was a very tense silence as this terrible fact sunk in. Everyone bowed their heads and didn't dare look at one another in the eyes. Finally Vector sighed heavily and looked up at the red echidna.

"I realize that very well, Knux, and I hate the idea as much as anyone here. But I'd rather hand over the guilty party than let someone innocent get hurt while trying to escape. Besides, Jenkins and the robots are in as much danger from this guy as we are; they would be more helpful to us if they knew about the tunnels."

Knuckles' frown remained, but he sat back down on the couch. "…Okay, you have me there."

Suddenly Amy blurted, "What about Eggman? Have you figured out…what happened?"

The reptile heaved another sigh. "No. Too many interruptions lately. But I'm hoping that they might be intertwined. I'm not sure how yet." He looked at each of the other five, and said, "I tell ya what. I'll go talk to Jenkins. You guys should keep searching each Room again. Tails, stick with Sonic and Amy."

The fox nodded. "Okay, Vector."

Knuckles and Rouge opened their mouths to complain about their being teamed up again, but Vector expected it and glared them down. They reluctantly left the Lounge along with the two hedgehogs and the fox. The detective soon followed after them, preparing himself for the tough task ahead.

* * *

Five minutes later, Vector had briefed Jenkins on the tunnel system in one of the second floor rooms. The butler had listened to everything with a frown, and had hardly asked any questions. When Vector was finished, he rubbed his forehead.

"…And you never thought about telling me this earlier?"

The crocodile lowered his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, Jenkins. I was so caught up in the murder and all the other cases that it never occurred to me."

He looked up at him, calm but firm. "Did using them to escape ever cross your mind?"

"Not once, sir."

"I see." He turned and looked out the room's window, which was facing the front lawn of Tudor Mansion. As he did so, he played with the pieces of paper at his desk with his fingers. These papers caught Vector's interest.

"What are those?"

The coyote glanced at him and picked up the stack of papers. "I have been doing some research on John Boddy. Some of it Master Eggman had, and I got other bits of information from looking on the Internet. I'm trying to find a reason why someone would trespass onto his property."

His eyebrows rose. "You mean a motive?"

"Yes."

"Anything so far?"

"Plenty. Boddy was very successful in his profession, and earned great sums of money. But from the beginning he had a large inheritance left for him by a deceased uncle; this included the mansion and everything in it."

"So he's a millionaire?"

"Try _billion_aire, Vector."

The sleuth let out a long, low whistle.

"Mr. Boddy also owns many items of tremendous worth, most of them rare artifacts or antiques. Those types of items tend to attract thieves, correct?"

Vector nodded. "The intruder could be after some of that stuff."

"There is one particular piece that he might be after."

Jenkins took a sheet of paper out of the stack and handed it to Vector. It had a printed photo of a beautiful chalice made entirely out of gold; it had intricate designs all over it, and rose-tinted pearls were set in it.

"That's one fancy cup," breathed Vector.

"It's the world-famous Pearl Chalice, and it is probably worth millions," Jenkins told him. "Archeologists working for Mr. Boddy found it, and he added it to his collection. He never put it up in a museum, and insisted on keeping it in his own home. No one has seen it for years. I believe it is hidden somewhere in this mansion."

The croc's eyes grew wide. "You're probably right."

"If we can find the chalice before the intruder, then we might be able to use it to drive him out or capture him." He rubbed his forehead again. "The problem is, I have no idea where it is hidden. And so far none of the information I collected has given me any clues. I have examined everything Boddy has said in newspaper articles, but there is nothing to hint of its location."

Suddenly Vector cracked a huge grin; an idea had struck him like a two-by-four. "I think I know of another source we could try. Let me get Tails and I'll show ya."

He darted out of the room, and Jenkins struggled to catch up to him, wondering at the same time what source Vector had that he wasn't aware of…


	13. Treasure Hunts and Hot Tempers

Chapter #13: Treasure Hunts and Hot Tempers

"I want to go home."

As she said this, Amy stared out the large window of the Conservatory, biting her lip and rubbing her arms. Behind her, Sonic and Tails, who were searching the Room from top to bottom, stopped their work to look at her. She heard them stop, and turned to face them.

"First Dr. Eggman got killed, then we aren't allowed outside to have fun, and now there's a burglar or something under the house," she continued. "It's giving me the creeps. I'm tired of it."

The boys glanced at one another, wondering how to respond. Then Tails sighed and said, "I don't like it either, Amy, but we can't go home. We just have to deal with it until whoever was down there is caught."

The pink hedgehog couldn't argue with him there. She was quiet for a minute, and then said, "Is it okay if I go take a nap?"

Tails smiled and answered, "No need to ask us, but go ahead. We can work fine by ourselves."

Amy nodded and left the Conservatory. The fox resumed digging through one of the potted plants (Knuckles had told him how he had found the Revolver). But Sonic didn't start searching again, and instead watched the door with folded arms and a frown. After a while his sidekick noticed.

"What's up, Sonic?"

There was a pause, and then he replied, "Amy hasn't even seen the secret tunnel and already she's freaking out about this guy." Then he turned to Tails, and his face softened. "You're the one he attacked, and yet you're cool as ice."

Tails didn't respond to that for a while, and did his best to smile. "Well, _you're_ always calm whenever things are falling apart. I guess I picked it up."

But the blue hedgehog wasn't completely convinced; his frown returned. They had a staring contest for a moment, and then Tails sighed and caved in.

"Well…I guess I'm still a little nervous about it. I think Vector's right about the robots; they might scare the guy off if they're with us. But…I dunno if I'm ready to go back just yet." He took his hands out of one of the plants and scratched his head. "But you know what I just don't get?"

"What?"

"Where was Knuckles when all that happened? I didn't see him in the tunnel to the Kitchen. And he wasn't in the secret tunnel either. So where was he? He never said."

Sonic's eyebrows rose. "I never thought of that." But then his face darkened into a suspicious frown. "I wonder if he's got something to hide."

Tails recalled his own inner thoughts about Knuckles in the Hall, and shuddered. It seemed like Knuckles _was_ acting like he had something to hide…was it that _he_ was the killer?

Suddenly the hedgehog began to move towards the door. "I'm gonna confront him about it," he said angrily.

His sidekick didn't like the sound of that, and began to say, "Sonic, wait…"

Suddenly the door opened, and in stepped Vector. Sonic halted, surprised, and Tails perked up.

"Tails, I need ya to come with me to the Basement!" the crocodile said with an excited gleam in his eyes.

"What for, Vector?" asked Tails. "Do you have a lead?"

"Maybe, maybe not. It's just a hunch, really. You comin'?"

"Yeah!" He turned back to Sonic and asked, "Can you check the Billiard Room by yourself, Sonic?"

The blue hero grinned and replied, "No prob, buddy."

The fox grinned back and then left the Conservatory, trying to keep up with Vector as they headed for the Basement.

* * *

"The Pearl Chalice?! No kidding!" exclaimed Tails a minute later.

The two were down in the Basement searching through its bookshelves. Vector kept well away from the wine rack; he had learned his lesson. At any rate, he was too busy sifting through the old books and explaining to Tails what he had learned from Jenkins.

"The guy in the tunnels might be after that cup, and even if he isn't, he's bound to come out of hiding when he hears about it!" the crocodile detective said, turning around to face the fox. "And when he lets down his guard…_wham!"_ He smacked a large fist into his open palm. "We'll have him in our nets!"

But Tails sighed and scratched his head. "But we have to find the Chalice first, and we don't know where it is."

"Perhaps so, kid, but I know of something that might tell us where it is! Ya see, when I was down here with Sonic, I found this journal Mr. Boddy wrote. I just sifted through it, but maybe he wrote the Chalice's location inside that book!"

Immediately Tails leaped to his feet and said, "Then let's find it!"

Since Vector couldn't quite remember where the journal was, they spent about two minutes examining every book on the shelves. But finally the croc recognized it sitting on the top shelf and pulled it out. He flipped it open and paged through it, looking for one particular date.

"Aha!" he cried, and stabbed one finger on an entry. "The date he received the Chalice!" Then he began to read:

_August 20__th__, 10:30 PM_

_After much hard thought, I finally decided what to do with my precious Pearl Chalice. It should go to a museum, but so many are begging me for it that I can't take it anymore. I will instead keep it here inside Tudor Mansion. I have hidden it in a good place, the best I can find for now, and it is under guard. I trust its watchers; all day and all night they are at their posts, never changing shifts, never even blinking…protecting my treasure by warding off guests with their hard, constant stares…_

There was more to the entry, but Boddy moved on to a different subject. Vector stopped reciting and hummed thoughtfully to himself while rubbing his chin.

"It's a riddle…of course he wouldn't outright say where he put it. Should've thought of that before…hmm…'watchers'…'all day and all night'…"

"What could it mean?" Tails said.

Vector gave a shrug. "Well, I think Boddy doesn't literally mean people or watchdogs; he says they never change watch and never even blink. He must mean some objects, with faces for the 'hard, constant stares'."

"Like statues?" the fox suggested.

"That's a good start. Problem is, he also said _inside_ Tudor Mansion, and there aren't any statues in the house. He means something else…maybe a bunch of busts, or a painting, or a…"

"_Painting?!"_

The crocodile jumped at how loud and how suddenly Tails had spoken. He also saw how stiff he was and how wide his eyes were. "Uhh…Tails?"

"Vector, I know where he hid it! In the _Study_! Come on!"

Tails rushed out of the Basement, spinning Vector around on his way out. The bewildered reptile did his best to recover and raced after his apprentice, muttering, "Talk about treasure-hunt fever…"

* * *

While Tails and Vector were in the Basement, the reluctant pair of Knuckles and Rouge was going over the Lounge one last time. For some reason, the former seemed tired and wanted to rest, but the white bat constantly nagged him.

"We don't have time for naps, Knucklehead. Smarty-sleuth told us to look for evidence."

"I'm surprised you're the one talking," the scarlet echidna muttered, reclining on one of the couches with a frown.

Rouge heard him as she was replacing one of the couches' seat cushions (she had removed them to look for anything that had fallen under the cushions). She whirled around and glared. "What are you saying?" she said in a low voice, her eyes narrowing.

Knuckles opened one eye halfway and glared back while curling his lip. "Your innocent act doesn't fool me for a second, batgirl. I _know_ you're the one who bumped off Egghead."

She stared at him as if in disbelief, and didn't answer. He got up from the couch, stood in front of her, and continued with his accusation.

"I've always known it from the beginning, and I don't care what anyone else says. If anybody here could kill Eggman, it's you. So why don't you just go to that butler guy and admit it? Or do you want to drag it out as long as you can and keep us trapped here? Is that some kind of plan to get _my_ Master Emerald?!"

Suddenly red burst onto her face, and she screamed in Knuckles' face, _"I didn't do it, you bullheaded idiot! You don't have any evidence to show it!"_

"Not yet," he replied just as angrily, but lower in volume, "but I will! Just you wait!"

"And _I'll_ look for evidence to convict _you!"_

He snorted and turned his back on her. "I'd like to see you try." Then he stormed out of the Lounge; he didn't want to be in the same Room as Rouge for a while, and there didn't seem to be any evidence of a crime scene. He opted to try out the Billiard Room. But just as he was reaching for the doorknob to that Room, he saw two things happen.

First, Rouge also left the Lounge, and after shooting a hateful glance at him, she marched into the Ballroom. The second event happened just as she went inside; Tails came racing up from the Basement, and he bounded into the Study. Vector came running after him seconds afterward.

_Tails sure looked excited about something,_ the echidna thought as he entered the Billiard Room. _I wonder what it was…_

He turned his head to see that Sonic was already inside the Room, but he wasn't looking around; he was playing more pool by himself. He hardly looked up when Knuckles entered. The echidna chose to also ignore him, and began looking through the cabinets. He never saw the blue hedgehog look up from his game and glare in his direction.

Knux didn't know it, but he was in for another, worse fight…

* * *

Meanwhile, Vector and Tails were inside the Study, staring at the horsemen painting on one wall.

"…'Never even blinking'…'hard, constant stares'…" the former mumbled. Then he turned to the young fox and cracked a huge grin. "Tails, you're brilliant!"

Tails blushed red and traced circles on the floor with one foot. "Thanks. Do you think it's behind the painting?"

"Only one way to find out!"

Vector reached up, carefully took hold of the painting, and lifted it off its hook. When he set it down and looked back at the wall, his eyebrows rose. "Jackpot."

In the wall where the painting hung, there was a smooth safe the same color as the wall. The only giveaway was the knob.

"What could the combination be?" Tails said with disappointment in his voice.

But the reptile sleuth had an idea. "Let's try the date Boddy wrote that diary entry: 82007." He took hold of the knob and "dialed" the number. There was a loud click, and Tails whooped with joy. Eagerly Vector swung open the safe door…

…And both of them gaped in shock.

"What?!" Tails yelped. _"It's gone!"_

* * *

"Knuckles?"

The echidna didn't even look back as he was looking under one of the cabinets in the Billiard Room. "Yeah, Sonic?"

"We need to talk."

It was a strange thing to say, and this time Knuckles did get to his feet and stare at the blue hedgehog. His arms were folded, and his eyes held an unusual, solemn, almost angry, glimmer in them. The unsuspecting echidna cocked an eyebrow.

"About what?"

"What were you doing in those tunnels?"

He became rigid, and frowned. "Looking for this intruder guy, what else?"

"No, there was somethin' else you were doing down there. You can't fool me."

"It's none of your business!" he snapped.

The smoldering look in Sonic's green eyes sparked into flame, and he raised his voice. "While you were playing explorer, somebody pulled a knife on Tails! That makes it my business!"

"You think I was _playing?_ Don't be stupid!"

"And _you_ stop dodging my question! What were you really doing down there?!"

"How many times do I have to say it?! I was looking for this intruder Vector's ranting about!"

"I don't believe you."

Knuckles stomped up to Sonic until they were nearly touching noses. "You callin' me a liar?" he snarled.

The blue hedgehog's eyes narrowed, and he cracked a defiant smirk; he wasn't intimidated in the least. "If I am, what are you gonna to do about it?"

"I'll kick your sorry tail."

"I'd like to see you try…_Knucklehead."_

With an enraged roar, the scarlet echidna lunged forward and tackled the cobalt hedgehog. They struggled and rolled all over the floor, knocking into the billiard table several times; it had sturdy legs, so it didn't tip over. They unwittingly barreled toward the door, and when it opened and Rouge (who had finished with the Ballroom and had heard the ruckus) stepped in, they rolled out of the room into the main open area of the mansion.

The noise soon drew the attention of several others. Tails and Vector came out of the Study, and Jenkins and Amy came running down the stairs from the second floor. For a while they simply watched in confusion as the two wrestled, and then they began to yell for them to stop. Jenkins suggested pulling them apart, but no one wanted to get near the echidna and hedgehog's bristled spines. Finally, when she saw Knuckles sock Sonic in the nose, Amy rushed forward.

"Both of you, _cut it out!"_ she screamed. She reached into a pocket of her dress and pulled out what appeared to be a thin yellow stick. But she pressed a small button on it, and it suddenly expanded into none other than her yellow-and-red Piko-Piko Hammer. (Tails had invented a portable version of it so she could take her hammer wherever she went.) A split second later, she slammed it into the middle of the fight.

There was a loud scream of pain, and Knuckles fell back from Sonic, holding his head. Immediately Vector grabbed him and pulled him away. Sonic made a move to follow him, but Tails quickly gripped his arm and begged, "Sonic, please stop! This isn't going to make him tell us anything!" The hedgehog gave in and sat back down on the floor to examine his minor injuries.

"Oh Sonic!" Amy shrieked. "Are you alright?! Did I hit you?!"

"No, you didn't, Amy," he replied. "Knux got all of it." He looked over at the moaning echidna and cracked a small grin. "He's lucky you didn't give him a concussion. No wonder you can smash robots into oblivion—that thing's serious business."

Everyone in the room noticed the pink hedgehog cringe and drop her eyes when he said this. Suddenly Vector froze and looked at Tails. The fox caught on to what he was thinking, and with wide blue eyes, turned to Amy.

"Uhh, Amy…that Egg Pawn we found smashed on the second floor…that was your hammer's work, wasn't it?"

She winced again, and then slowly nodded. She lowered her head in shame as she felt everyone else's surprised stares on her. She began to stammer out an explanation.

"I d-did try and get a snack like I t-told you guys, b-but I got lost on the second f-floor. Th-then I ran into that robot and…and…it freaked me out. It tried to grab me, and I…I smashed it." Then she dared to look up at Jenkins. "Am I in trouble?" she asked.

The coyote sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I don't think so, not this time. You acted in self-defense, I suppose. I'll let you off the hook, but I will have to confiscate the hammer."

She breathed a big sigh of relief and handed the hammer (which she had turned back into its small state) to Jenkins. He tucked it into one of his coat pockets and then turned to the others.

"Well, now that that has been settled, let's take these two to the Kitchen. I have some medicine and bandages stored in that room."

Everyone then began walking to the Kitchen. But then Vector paused; Tails noticed, and also stopped.

"What's up, Vector?"

"Tails, I just realized something. These guys covered almost all the rooms looking for the crime scene, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. We did the Kitchen, the Dining Room, and the Hall before we found out about the intruder. Then Sonic and I did the Conservatory, and he took the Billiard Room when I went with you; Knuckles and Rouge did the Lounge and Ballroom. We looked at the Study while we were in there too."

He took a few breaths after explaining, and watched the crocodile's face light up.

"…What?"

"Tails, I think I've got it."

"What do you mean?"

Vector turned to the fox, wearing a secretive grin.

"_Let's go back to where it all began…"_


End file.
